Micky Mellon rallies around Clarke Carlisle

It was revealed yesterday that Carlisle, a former team-mate of Mellon's at Blackpool, deliberately threw himself in front of a lorry in a suicide attempt back in December.

Speaking about the incident that left him in hospital for six weeks, the 35-year-old former Premier League defender told of how had been battling serious depression for 18 months.

And Mellon believes it's vital the football community rallies round to help Carlisle, who himself has supported many players in his role with the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA).

Mellon said: "I don't think that a lot of people know about the work that Clarke does behind the scenes. I can only speak for myself in the amount of players that I have sent to Clarke.

"He's been there for them, all of the time. I feel emotional about it because he is such a good guy. Now it's our time to support him. It's sad and it's tough for footballers when they finish playing.

"Now and again it might not do any harm for people like myself to get around these people and give them a phone call, because it's tough.

"Clarke has helped so many people, so many that you could probably fill the (Greenhous Meadow) stadium with the work that guy's done.

"It's important now that we all show some support for Clarke and make sure that he knows that we need him back as soon as possible because without him, I could tell you five or six players who might not even be here today, never mind getting better."

Mellon also insisted that he would welcome any past player looking for a way back into the game.

He said: "I'd love to keep players involved as much as possible. The doors at this football club will always be open.

"That's to any footballer who wants to come in, perhaps for a chat or maybe we could get them doing a bit of scouting, or anything we could do to keep them involved in some way."