Melchester Rovers Melchester Rovers Melchester Rovers are a fictional football team with whom Roy Race spent most of his illustrious career in the British comic strip "Roy of the Rovers", which first appeared in "Tiger" at its inception in 1954. According to the comic strip's continuity, Melchester Rovers were founded in 1885 winning at least three League Championships and a number of FA Cups during the pre-war years of their existence (three titles in succession and four FA Cup finals in the 1930s). But, according to the Annuals, Melchester Rovers were a third division struggling club in the 1930s, until they gained
Roy of the Rovers debuting on the front page of the first issue. After 22 years of continued popularity, the strip was judged successful enough to sustain its own weekly comic, the eponymous "Roy of the Rovers", launched on 25 September 1976. The comic ran for 851 issues, until 20 March 1993, and included other football strips and features. At the peak of the comic's success about 450,000 copies were sold each week. There were also hardback annuals and holiday specials featuring a mix of reprinted and original content, and for a brief period, starting in 1986, Roy of the Rovers was serialised in