Geoff Merrick (born 29 April 1951) is an English former professional

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 lea ...

who played as a

central defender In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...

, making over 300 career appearances.

Career

Born in

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

, Merrick played for

Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England. The team compete in the , the second level of the English football league system. Founded in 1894, the club competed in the Southern League and Western L ...

and Caroline Hill in Hong Kong. A cultured defender, his best position was at centre-back, although he was also a capable full-back. Merrick was quick, good in the air and an exceptional reader of the game. These attributes led to at least two attempts from Arsenal to sign him, both of which were rejected by Bristol City. As captain, Merrick was central to Bristol City's promotion to the top flight of English football in 1976. Having been part of this modern high-point for the club, he was unable to arrest its subsequent decline as they endured a series of relegations. With financial difficulties accompanying the decline, Merrick became one of the legendary 'Ashton Gate Eight' who saved the club by ripping up their contracts and taking redundancy.https://www.bbc.co.uk/bristol/content/articles/2005/12/02/ashtongate8_feature.shtm

References

1951 births Living people English men's footballers Bristol City F.C. players Gloucester City A.F.C. players English Football League players Men's association football central defenders Footballers from Bristol {{England-footy-defender-1950s-stub