Samuel Meston

Samuel Meston
Personal information
Full name Samuel Meston[1]
Date of birth 16 January 1872
Place of birth Arbroath, Scotland
Date of death 14 August 1948(1948-08-14) (aged 76)[2]
Place of death Ashurst, Hampshire, England
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Position(s) Half-back
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Arbroath Victoria
1894–1895 Stoke 11 (2)
1895–1906 Southampton 246 (18)
1906–1907 Salisbury City
1907–1909 Croydon Common 18 (1)
1909 Salisbury City
1911 Chandler's Ford
1913 Eastleigh Athletic
Total 275 (21)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Samuel Meston (16 January 1872 – 14 August 1948) was a Scottish professional footballer who played as a half-back for Stoke and Southampton. Whilst with Southampton, he appeared in two FA Cup Finals and won six Southern League championship medals, being the only player ever to do so.[3]

Playing career

Meston was born in Arbroath[4] and started his career with his local team, Arbroath Victoria before signing as a professional with Stoke in January 1894.[5] Meston spent two seasons at the Victoria Ground making thirteen appearances scoring four goals.[5] At the end of the 1894–95 season, he joined Southampton, together with several other Stoke players and soon proved to be one of the most valuable players signed for the Saints in their Southern League days. His trademark hard shots were nicknamed Long Toms after a cannon used during the Boer War and elsewhere.[6]

He played in a variety of positions,[7] although his favourite position was at right-half. Whilst at Southampton, he won a record six Southern League championship medals and appeared in the FA Cup finals in 1900, defeating three First division clubs on the way,[8] and 1902. He made a total of 288 appearances for the Saints, including 42 in the FA Cup (a total only exceeded by Terry Paine and Nick Holmes).[6]

After 11 seasons with the Saints, he left in May 1906 to join Salisbury City and also played for Croydon Common and Eastleigh Athletic.

After leaving full-time football, he worked as a brake-fitter at the Eastleigh railway depot.[6]

Two decades later his son, Sammy Meston also played for Southampton, as well as for Everton and Tranmere Rovers.[9]

Career statistics

Club Season League FA Cup Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Stoke 1893–94[5] First Division 1 0 0 0 1 0
1894–95[5] 10 2 2 2 12 4
Total 11 2 2 2 13 4
Southampton 1895–96[2] Southern League First Division 18 0 5 1 23 1
1896–97[2] 19 4 7 0 26 4
1897–98[2] 22 2 9 1 31 3
1898–99[2] 18 1 3 0 21 1
1899–1900[2] 27 3 6 0 33 3
1900–01[2] 28 2 1 0 29 2
1901–02[2] 26 4 8 0 34 4
1902–03[2] 24 1 1 0 25 1
1903–04[2] 24 1 2 0 26 1
1904–05[2] 18 0 0 0 18 0
1905–06[2] 22 0 0 0 22 0
Total 246 18 42 2 288 20
Career Total 257 20 44 4 301 24

Honours

Southampton

References

  1. ^ Joyce, Michael. Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939 (Third edition, with revisions ed.). Toton, Nottingham. p. 202. ISBN 9781905891610. OCLC 841581272.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Croydon Common FC – Samuel Meston" (PDF). Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  3. ^ Chalk, Gary; Holley, Duncan (1987). Saints – A complete record. Breedon Books. p. 34. ISBN 0-907969-22-4.
  4. ^ "Football items". Scottish Referee. 20 April 1900. p. 2. Retrieved 2 August 2022 – via The British Newspaper Archive. Closed access icon
  5. ^ a b c d Matthews, Tony (1994). The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City. Lion Press. ISBN 0-9524151-0-0.
  6. ^ a b c Holley, Duncan; Chalk, Gary (1992). The Alphabet of the Saints. ACL & Polar Publishing. pp. 237–238. ISBN 0-9514862-3-3.
  7. ^ "Comments on sport - Golf, Badminton and football". Dundee Courier. 23 January 1906. p. 3. Retrieved 2 August 2022 – via The British Newspaper Archive. Notwithstanding that Meston has been playing for Southampton eleven years, during which time he has figured in every position on the field [..] Closed access icon
  8. ^ "The Giant Killers". The Giant Killers. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  9. ^ Holley, Duncan; Chalk, Gary (1992). The Alphabet of the Saints. ACL & Polar Publishing. p. 238. ISBN 0-9514862-3-3.
  10. ^ Southampton St Mary's F.C. at the Football Club History Database
  11. ^ Southampton F.C. at the Football Club History Database