Club historian Stuart Basson pays tribute to former Chesterfield player John Meredith, who passed away recently at the age of 85…
Winger John Meredith was one of a talented crop of young Doncaster Rovers players who were brought through the reserves by manager Peter Doherty in the late 1950s. He made his first-team debut in September 1958 and almost immediately fell under the watchful eye of Stan Mortensen, scouting for Bolton Wanderers. His speed in the run and off the mark allowed him to get ahead of a fullback, and an accurate cross usually followed. John quickly became very highly rated, and it was no surprise when he moved to Sheffield Wednesday in February 1961 for £4,500 and John Ballagher, the player he replaced at Hillsborough.
John would come to play only one Football League game for the Owls in 16 months, thanks largely to time out with a groin injury, before Tony McShane brought him to Chesterfield for £750 in the summer of 1962. The Green ‘Un’s Chesterfield reporter Reg Whittaker quickly declared him “The best left-winger Chesterfield have had in ages” and with John on one side and George Duncan on the other, the Spireites offered a potent threat from their wings.
John was retained at the end of the 1962/63 season and paid “summer wages” at a lower rate than during the season. Like many of his team-mates, he sought alternative employment in the close season, to make ends meet. John spent the summer of 1963 selling ice-cream.
An intelligent provider of chances for others, John shone during one of the worst periods in the club’s history and was sold to Gillingham at a handsome profit after the club turned down a number of offers for him. Up to the time of his sale in March 1964, John had scored seven goals in 89 appearances for Chesterfield. The Spireites received £5,000 for him: not much, even by the standards of the day, but poor gates had plunged the club deep into debt, and the money helped keep the club afloat.
John came to be highly thought of at Priestfield, joining the Gills as they won the Fourth Division championship and helping them to strong finishes in his first two seasons there. After 228 Football League games for the Priestfield side, a £10,000 fee took him to Bournemouth. Relegated in his first season there, he helped the Cherries to bounce straight back to Division Three in 1970/71. In the summer of 1972, he took over as player-manager at Hastings United.
After leaving football behind, John returned north and worked in the insurance industry. He remained a friend of his old Doncaster team-mate (and stand-up comedian) Charlie Williams, and the pair would travel together to watch Chesterfield matches.
We offer our condolences to John’s family and friends.
