Richard Merritt (22 July 1897 – 1978) was an English

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who scored 16 goals from 97 appearances in the Football League playing as an

outside left Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...

for South Shields, Durham City, Lincoln City and

Notts County Notts County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nottingham, England. The team participate in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Founded on the 25 November 1862, it is the ...

. He played in the

Midland League The Midland Football League is an English football league that was founded in 2014 by the merger of the former Midland Alliance and Midland Combination. The league has four divisions that sit at levels 9–12 of the football pyramid. History T ...

for

York City York City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team compete in the National League, at the fifth tier of the English football league sys ...

, and also played non-league football for Easington Colliery Welfare and Washington Colliery.

Life and career

Merritt was born in

Shiney Row Shiney Row is a village in Houghton-le-Spring, Tyne and Wear, England. One of the most notable people who was born in Shiney Row is Sir George Elliot, 1st Baronet Sir George Elliot, 1st Baronet, JP (18 March 1814 – 23 December 1893) ...

, County Durham, in July 1897. He played for Easington Colliery Welfare before the First World War, and afterwards signed for South Shields of the

Football League Second Division The Football League Second Division was the second level division in the English football league system between 1892 and 1992. Following the foundation of the FA Premier League, the Football League divisions were renumbered and the third t ...

. He made his Football League debut on 8 April 1922, in a 4–0 defeat away to Blackpool, and played once more the following season, before moving on to Durham City of the

Third Division North The Third Division North of the Football League was a tier in the English football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran in parallel with the Third Division South with clubs elected to the League or relegated from a higher division allocated to ...

. He was a first-team regular in the side for two seasons, making 73 appearances, and was popular with the supporters, despite a tendency to shoot from unlikely positions on the pitch. He was transfer-listed at the end of the season, then spent a season with another third-tier club, Lincoln City, half the time in the first team and the rest with the reserves in the

. Having failed to find a new employer at Football League level, Merritt was very briefly attached to Washington Colliery before joining Midland League club

for the 1926–27 season. He played and scored regularly for a season and a half before breaking his ankle during a match in January 1928. He regained fitness in time to play in the last match of the season, and was selected for the annual match between the league champions, in this case

Gainsborough Trinity Gainsborough Trinity Football Club is a football club based in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, England. Established in 1873, the club became members of the Football League in 1893 and remained members of the Second Division until 1912, making Gainsbo ...

, and an eleven representing the rest of the league. He finished his three seasons with York City with 31 Midland League goals from 70 matches, and was again selected for the Rest against champions

Mansfield Town Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Stags', they play in a blue and ...

. He signed for Second Division

for the 1929–30 season, but although he scored freely for their reserves in the Midland League, he found it difficult to break through the first team. He made his debut on 30 November 1929 against

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The team has playe ...

, but that was his only first-team appearance and was given a free transfer at the end of the season. He returned to the north east and played for his former club, Easington Colliery Welfare. The

1939 Register The National Registration Act 1939 was an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom. The initial National Registration Bill was introduced to Parliament as an emergency measure at the start of the Second World War. The Act provided for the estab ...

finds Merritt living with his wife, Edith, and two children in Henry Street, Houghton-le-Spring, and working as a general labourer. He died in Sunderland in 1978 at the age of 80.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Merritt, Dicky 1897 births 1978 deaths Sportspeople from Houghton-le-Spring Footballers from Tyne and Wear English men's footballers Men's association football wingers Easington Colliery A.F.C. players Gateshead A.F.C. players Durham City A.F.C. players Lincoln City F.C. players Washington F.C. players York City F.C. players Notts County F.C. players English Football League players Midland Football League players