England Football Online
Goalkeepers Index Page Last Updated
6 August 2022
 
 
 

Gil Merrick

Birmingham City FC

23 appearances, 45 goals against, one own goal
five clean sheets, three penalties conceded

P 23 W 11 D 7 L 5 F 57: A 45
63% successful

1951-54

captain: none
minutes played:
2046

Timeline

  Gilbert Harold Merrick
Birth 26 January 1922 at 28 Shakespeare Street, Sparkhill, Warwickshire [registered in King's Norton, March 1922]. To Harold and Nellie (née Howle).
Attended Fenton Road School in Acocks Green.
First marriage to Dorothy Jean Voce [registered in Birmingham, December 1944]. Two children, Jill and Neil. Jean died in May 1996.
 

Appeared on Midland Electoral Registers, particularly in 1945, where Gilbert H. and [Joan M.]  were living at 85 Fenton Road, in Acock's Green, Birmingham. In 1955, he and Dorothy were living at 56 Brays Road in Sheldon. Also lived at 8 Bills Lane, Solihull in 1961.

Second marriage to Ivy on 20 April 2007.
Death 3 February 2010 at 28 Bills Lane, Shirley, Birmingham, aged 88 years 8 days.

Source

Douglas Lammings' An English Football Internationalist Who's Who [1990] &

Biographies I See It All - Gil Merrick (Museum Press, London, 1954)
Gil Merrick: Mr Birmingham City - Keith Dixon
(Breedon Publishing Ltd, Derby, April 2009)
 

x. - A Football Compendium, Peter J. Seddon (1999).

Club Career

Club(s) Gil signed professional forms for £10 with Birmingham FC, in August 1939, at the age of 17, after being spotted by Walter Taylor in a trial game for Solihull Town FC and Shirley Town FC. He had only signed amateur forms with Solihull only weeks before. He had been playing for Fenton Rovers FC, Shirley Juniors FC and Olton Sports FC. He remained with Birmingham City FC until 1964. He debuted during the war, and then after 485 league appearances, he hung up his gloves in May 1960.
Club honours Football League South Champions 1945-46; Football League Division Two winners 1947-48, 1954-55; FA Cup runners-up 1955-56;
Individual honours Football League (eleven appearances)
Distinctions Gil is the son of a sheet metal worker who had played semi-professionally for Birmingham. Gil´s grandfather had worked for the haulage firm which had helped to build the St Andrew´s ground in 1906.
The Railway Stand at St. Andrews was renamed the Gil Merrick Stand in April 2009.
Birmingham Walk of Stars August 2009.
Birmingham City FC Hall of Fame October 2009;
Height/Weight 6' 1", 13st. 0lbs [1951].

Source

Douglas Lammings' An English Football Internationalist Who's Who [1990].

Management Career

Club(s) He took over the managerial reigns of Birmingham City FC in May 1960, a role he kept until 29 April 1964, when the board of directors asked for Merrick's resignation, which he duly gave. He became part-time manager of Bromsgove Rovers FC in early 1967 and managed Atherstone Town FC in 1970.
Club honours Inter-Cities Fairs Cup runners-up 1960-61; League Cup winners 1962-63;

England Career

Player number One of three who became the 710th players (710) to appear for England.
73rd goalkeepr to appear.
Position(s) Goalkeeper
First match No. 267, 14 November 1951, England 2 Ireland 0, a British Championship match at Villa Park, Trinity Road, Aston, Birmingham, aged 29 years 292 days.
Last match No. 290, 26 June 1954, Uruguay 4 England 2, a World Cup Finals group match at Sankt Jakob Stadium, Sankt Jakob, Basel, Switzerland, aged 32 years 151 days.
Major tournaments World Cup Finals 1954;
British Championship 1951-52, 1952-53, 1953-54;
Team honours British Championship winners 1953-54. shared 1951-52, 1952-53;
Individual honours None
Distinctions Merrick's stats were savaged by a final season in which he conceded thirty goals in ten matches. He only conceded fifteen in his first thirteen matches. The first twelve were without defeat.

Beyond England

He also worked for 35 years as personnel manager for S&U, a financial services firm in Solihull. Also a Physical Education teacher at Greenmoor College in Edgbaston. - An English Football Internationalists' Who's Who. Douglas Lamming (1990). Hatton Press, p.172/3./Obituary


The Numbers
parties Apps comp
apps
unused minutes GA GA Av.
min
Comp GA Clean
Sheets
Cln
Sht Av
cln sht best captain
18 23 11 two 2046 45 47 min 19 5 63% 188 min one none
minutes are an approximation, due to the fact that many matches rarely stick to exactly ninety minutes long, allowing time for injuries and errors.
P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
23 11 7 5 57 45 +12 2 5 2.478 1.957 63 +6

Venue Record

Venue P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
Home 8 4 3 1 26 17 +9 0 2 3.25 2.125 68.8 +3
Away 13 7 3 3 25 20 +5 2 3 1.923 1.538 65.4 +3
Neutral 2 0 1 1 6 8 -2 0 0 3.00 4.00 25.0 -1

Competition Record

Competition P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L

WCP

3 3 0 0 11 4 +7 0 0 3.667 1.333 100.0 +3
WCF 3 1 1 1 8 8 =0 0 1 2.667 2.667 50.0 =0
World Cup 6 4 1 1 19 12 +7 0 1 3.167 2.00 75.0 +3
British Championship 8 6 2 0 24 11 +13 0 1 3.00 1.375 87.5 +6
The 1953-54 records of the World Cup preliminaries and British Championship are duplicated, and one set is deducted from the grand total.
Friendly 12 4 4 4 25 26 -1 2 3 2.083 2.167 50.0 =0

Tournament Record

World Cup Preliminary Competition
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
WCP/BC 1953-54 3 3 0 0 11 4 +7 0 0 3.667 1.333 100.0 +3
WCP All 3 3 0 0 11 4 +7 0 0 3.667 1.333 100.0 +3
World Cup Final Tournaments
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
WCF 1954 3 1 1 1 8 8 =0 0 1 2.667 2.667 50.0 =0
WCF All 3 1 1 1 8 8 =0 0 1 2.667 2.667 50.0 =0
World Cup
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
WC 1952-54 6 4 1 1 19 12 +7 0 1 3.167 2.00 75.0 +3
WC All 6 4 1 1 19 12 +7 0 1 3.167 2.00 75.0 +3

British Championship Competition
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
BC 1951-52 2 2 0 0 4 1 +3 0 1 2.00 0.50 100.0 +2
BC 1952-53 3 1 2 0 9 6 +3 0 0 3.00 2.00 66.7 +1
BC/WCP 1953-54 3 3 0 0 11 4 +7 0 0 3.667 1.333 100.0 +3
BC All 8 6 2 0 24 11 +13 0 1 3.00 1.375 87.5 +6

All Competition
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
WC 6 4 1 1 19 12 +7 0 1 3.167 2.00 75.0 +3
BC 8 6 2 0 24 11 +13 0 1 3.00 1.375 87.5 +6
The 1953-54 records of the World Cup preliminaries and British Championship are duplicated, and one set is deducted from the grand total.
11 7 3 1 32 19 +13 0 2 2.909 1.727 77.3 +6

 Match History

 Club: Birmingham City F.C. - 23 full appearances (2046 min) 45ᵍᵃ manager: Walter Winterbottom - 23 full appearances (2046 min) 45ᵍᵃx

apps match pic match details comp res. rundown shirt

Age 29
264 19 May 1951 - England 5 Portugal 2, Goodison Park, Liverpool Fr HW unused sub
1 267 14 November 1951 - England 2 Ireland 0
Villa Park, Birmingham
BC HW   1

one of three who became the 710th player (710) to appear for England.
the ninth Birmingham City player to represent England, fourth goalkeeper
the 73rd goalkeeper to represent England

2 268 28 November 1951 - England 2 Austria 2
Empire Stadium, Wembley
Fr HD cs: 137min 1
ᵍᵃvolley &

the tenth penalty kick scored against England (twentieth overall)

Age 30
3 269 5 April 1952 - Scotland 1 England 2
Hampden Park, Glasgow
BC AW   1
ᵍᵃ6yds
4 270 18 May 1952 - Italy 1 England 1
Stadio Comunale di Firenze, Firenze

tour
AD   1
ᵍᵃ6yds
5 271 25 May 1952 - Austria 2 England 3
Praterstadion, Wien
AW 83 1
ᵍᵃ& 12yds

the eleventh penalty kick scored against England (21st overall)
Merrick is the third goalkeeper to face two penalty kicks

6 272 28 May 1952 - Switzerland 0 England 3
Hardturm Stadion, Zürich
  AW   1
7 273 4 October 1952 - Ireland 2 England 2
Windsor Park, Belfast
BC AD cs: 154min 1
ᵍᵃcorner & volley
8 274 12 November 1952 - England 5 Wales 2
Empire Stadium, Wembley
BC HW   1
ᵍᵃ6yds
9 275 26 November 1952 - England 5 Belgium 0
Empire Stadium, Wembley
Fr HW   1

Age 31
10 276 18 April 1953 - England 2 Scotland 2
Empire Stadium, Wembley
BC HD cs: 188min 1
ᵍᵃrebound & lob

unofficial  
unused substitute - Buenos Aires XI 14 May 1953
11 277 17 May 1953 - Argentina 0 England 0
Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires abandoned after 36 mins.

tour
AabD    ³⁶ 1
12 278 24 May 1953 - Chile 1 England 2
Estadio Nacional de Chile, Santiago
AW   1
ᵍᵃdeflected
13 279 31 May 1953 - Uruguay 2 England 1
Estadio Centenario, Montevideo
AL   1
ᵍᵃ20yd & header
280 8 June 1953 - United States 3 England 6, Yankee Stadium, New York AW unused sub
14 281 10 October 1953 - Wales 1 England 4
Ninian Park, Cardiff
BC/
WCP
AW   1
ᵍᵃ12yd hook
15 282 21 October 1953 - England 4 Rest of the World 4
Empire Stadium, Wembley
Fr HD   1
ᵍᵃ, 6yd, 12yd & 25yd

the thirteenth penalty kick scored against England (23rd overall)
Merrick is the third goalkeeper to face three penalty kicks

16 283 11 November 1953 - England 3 Ireland 1
Goodison Park, Liverpool
BC/
WCP
HW 52 1
ᵍᵃown goal

the tenth own goal conceded by England

17 284 25 November 1953 - England 3 Hungary 6
Empire Stadium, Wembley
Fr HL   1
ᵍᵃ15yd 12yd 6yd 2x20yd & volley

the first England goalkeepr to concede 27 goals

Age 32
18 285 3 April 1954 - Scotland 2 England 4
Hampden Park, Glasgow
BC/
WCP
AW   1
ᵍᵃ6yd & cross

the first England goalkeepr to concede 29 goals

19 286 16 May 1954 - Yugoslavia 1 England 0
Stadion JNA, Beograd
tour AL   1
ᵍᵃ6yd

the first England goalkeepr to concede thirty goals

B  
party member - Yugoslavia 16 May 1954
20 287 23 May 1954 - Hungary 7 England 1
Népstadion, Budapest
  AL   1
ᵍᵃfk 2x2yd 8yd 7yd 18yd & 12yd

the 25th England player to reach twenty appearances, third goalkeeper
the first England goalkeepr to concede 37 goals

B  
party member  - Switzerland 23 May 1954
 
WCF
goalkeeper 1x
21 288 17 June 1954 - Belgium 4 England 4ᴭᵀ
Sankt Jakob Stadium, Basel
ND
ᵍᵃ6yd 2x12yd & og

the first England goalkeepr to concede 41 goals
the oldest WCF England goalkeeper (32yrs 142dys)so far

22 289 20 June 1954 - England 2 Switzerland 0
Wankdorfstadion, Bern
  AW  

the oldest WCF England goalkeeper (32yrs 145dys) so far

23 290 26 June 1954 - Uruguay 4 England 2
Sankt Jakob Stadium, Basel
  NL  
ᵍᵃ5yd 20yd 15yd & low
  

the first England goalkeepr to concede 45 goals
the oldest WCF England goalkeeper (32yrs 151dys) so far

  


 
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