Billy Meredith

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Lore & Background

Meredith was born in 1874 in Chirk, a small mining town in Denbighshire, Wales. He started work at Black Park Colliery as a pit pony driver at the age of 12. His family were Primitive Methodists, and Meredith himself remained a lifelong teetotaller. He spent eight years working in the mines. An interest in football was kindled by his elder brothers. Elias, the eldest, was a train driver for the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway. His work allowed him to take Meredith to watch professional teams such as Everton. All the Meredith brothers played football, but Sam, two years older than Billy, was the first to make an impression. He left Chirk to attempt a professional career and went on to play for Stoke City as a full-back. Meredith made his debut for the Chirk first team in September 1892. At the end of his first season, Meredith played in the 1893 Welsh Cup final, which Chirk lost 2–1 to Wrexham. Chirk withdrew from The Combination and entered only the Welsh league in 1893 due to low attendances caused by the coal miners' strike. Meredith not only played for Chirk but accepted an offer to play for Football League club Northwich Victoria as well. Back at Chirk, Meredith gained his first honour as part of the team that beat Westminster Rovers to win the 1894 Welsh Cup. Meredith also played for Wrexham in 1894, sharing his talents between them, Chirk and Northwich Victoria that year.

In Their Own Story

The final match of the 1897–98 season saw Meredith score his first hat-trick for the club in an emphatic 9–0 win against Burton Swifts. Seven days into the 1899–1900 season, he claimed two goals in a 4–0 home victory over Derby County, and 'led the field that day' by dribbling the ball almost the whole length of the pitch before launching a powerful shot that settled into the corner of Jack Fryer's net. The Athletic News reported that 'for real brilliance the right-wing [Meredith and Ross] took the biscuit'. In the 1903–04 campaign, drawn against a strong Sunderland club in the first round of the FA Cup, Meredith was the 'raider-in-chief' as City progressed. He captained the team to a 1–0 victory over Bolton Wanderers in the 1904 FA Cup final, the club's first major honour.

Reader's Guide

Meredith's performances for Northwich gained the attention of several other clubs. Later, in 1894, Ardwick, known as Manchester City, vigorously pursued Meredith's signature. Meredith eventually signed for Manchester City as an amateur. He continued to work at the pit for at least a year, commuting for matches. Meredith made his Manchester City debut in November 1894 in a 5–4 loss to Newcastle United. The following week he played his first home match for the club at Hyde Road, and scored two goals against Newton Heath – who later became Manchester United – in the first Manchester derby to take place in the league. He turned professional in January 1895. He ended the 1894–95 season with 12 goals in 18 appearances. Meredith finished as top scorer in his first full season at Manchester City. He was appointed club captain in his second season at the club, aged just 21. The club finished as Second Division runners-up in 1895–96, but were denied promotion after heavy defeats to West Bromwich Albion and Small Heath in the test matches. After the departure of strike partner Pat Finnerhan to Liverpool in March 1897, Meredith remained as City's star player. City dominated the Second Division in the 1898–99 season and won promotion as champions. Meredith claimed 30 goals in 34 games. Meredith scored City's first goal in the First Division on the opening day of the 1899–1900 season in a 4–3 defeat to Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park on 2 September. He captained the team to the club's first major honour, a 1–0 victory over Bolton Wanderers in the 1904 FA Cup final. He moved to Manchester United in May 1906 after being banned for bribing Aston Villa half-back Alex Leake £10 to lose a match. There, he won the league title in 1907–08 and 1910–11, the FA Cup in 1909, and two FA Charity Shields. He also helped to set up the Players' Union, which was a forerunner of the Professional Footballers' Association. He returned to Manchester City in 1921 at age 47 and played 32 games before retiring in 1924, making him the oldest-ever player for City, United and Wales. He later ran the Stretford Road Hotel and helped to coach the short-lived Manchester Central.

Did You Know?

• Meredith scored 194 goals in 740 league and cup appearances across 27 seasons from 1892 to 1924.
• He was banned for the 1905–06 season for bribing Aston Villa half-back Alex Leake £10 to lose a match.
• He returned to Manchester City in 1921 at age 47 and played 32 games before retiring in 1924, making him the oldest-ever player for City, United and Wales.
• Meredith scored City's first goal in the First Division on 2 September 1899 in a 4–3 defeat to Blackburn Rovers.