Samuel Meston

Samuel Meston
Personal information
Full name	Samuel Meston
Date of birth	16 January 1872
Place of birth	Arbroath, Scotland
Date of death	14 August 1948 (aged 76)
Place of death	Ashurst, Hampshire, England
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Position(s)	Half-back
Senior career*
Years	Team
	Arbroath Victoria
1894–1895	Stoke
1895–1906	Southampton
1906–1907	Salisbury City
1907–1909	Croydon Common
1909	Salisbury City
1911	Chandler's Ford
1913	Eastleigh Athletic
Total
	*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
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Stoke	1893–94^[5]	First Division	1	0	0	0	1	0
	1894–95^[5]	First Division	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

Southern League First Division: 1896–97, 1897–98, 1898–99, 1900–01, 1902–03, 1903–04^[2]^[10]^[11]
FA Cup finalist: 1900, 1902

References

^ Joyce, Michael. Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939 (Third edition, with revisions ed.). Toton, Nottingham. p. 202. ISBN 9781905891610. OCLC 841581272.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m "Croydon Common FC – Samuel Meston" (PDF). Retrieved 17 June 2019.
^ Chalk, Gary; Holley, Duncan (1987). Saints – A complete record. Breedon Books. p. 34. ISBN 0-907969-22-4.
^ "Football items". Scottish Referee. 20 April 1900. p. 2. Retrieved 2 August 2022 – via The British Newspaper Archive.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Matthews, Tony (1994). The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City. Lion Press. ISBN 0-9524151-0-0.
^ ^a ^b ^c Holley, Duncan; Chalk, Gary (1992). The Alphabet of the Saints. ACL & Polar Publishing. pp. 237–238. ISBN 0-9514862-3-3.
^ "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 [..]
^ "The Giant Killers". The Giant Killers. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
^ Holley, Duncan; Chalk, Gary (1992). The Alphabet of the Saints. ACL & Polar Publishing. p. 238. ISBN 0-9514862-3-3.
^ Southampton St Mary's F.C. at the Football Club History Database
^ Southampton F.C. at the Football Club History Database

[1] Joyce, Michael. Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939 (Third edition, with revisions ed.). Toton, Nottingham. p. 202. ISBN 9781905891610. OCLC 841581272.

[Croydon-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.

[The_Encyclopaedia_of_Stoke_City-5] Matthews, Tony (1994). The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City. Lion Press. ISBN 0-9524151-0-0.

[ABC-6] 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 [..]

[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

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