Roy of the Rovers focus switched to Roy's son Rocky, who also played for Melchester. This publication was short-lived, and folded after only 19 issues. The adventures of the Race family were subsequently featured in the monthly "Match of the Day" football magazine, in which father and son were reunited as manager and player respectively. These strips began in 1997 and continued until the magazine's closure in May 2001. Football-themed stories were a staple of British comics for boys from the 1950s onwards, and Roy of the Rovers was the most popular. To keep the strip exciting, Melchester was almost every year either competing
Hampton Rovers Football Club but as the incentive to play in a higher standard became apparent, another competition was sought. In 1931, Hampton Rovers was admitted to the Metropolitan Football League and played Richmond United at Burnley in its first game. In 1933 the club joined the Victorian Amateur Football Association and changed the colours to the current Green & Gold. The club has won a total of 9 senior premierships including an A Section flag in 1951. Added to this are 9 reserve and 9 under 19 premierships. 1963 saw the club move from Ludstone Street to their present home, Cnr David Street