Dixie McNeil
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| Dixie McNeil | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Richard McNeil | |
| Date of birth | January 16, 1947 | |
| Place of birth | Melton Mowbray, England | |
| Playing position | Striker | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Retired | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 196?-1964 1964-1966 1966-1967 1967-1969 1969-1972 1972-1974 1974-1977 1977-1982 1982-1983 |
Holwell Works Leicester City Exeter City Corby Town Northampton Town Lincoln City Hereford United Wrexham Hereford United Total |
0 (0) 0 (0) 31 (11) 0 (0) 86 (33) 97 (53) 129 (85) 167 (54) 12 (3) 522 (239) |
| Teams managed | ||
| 1985-1989 1990-1991 1991-1992 1994-1995 1999-2000 2004- |
Wrexham Coventry City (assistant) Hereford United (assistant) Flint Town United Caernarfon Town Newi Cefn Druids |
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1 Senior club appearances and goals |
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Dixie McNeil (born 16 January 1947 in Melton Mowbray) is a former English footballer and manager, who played as a striker.
As a schoolboy, McNeil signed for his local club Leicester City F.C. after playing for local club Holwell Works. However he did not fit into the First Division side's plans and was released. He made his football league debut for Exeter City F.C. in the 1966-67 season against Wrexham, a club he would later play for and manage. Despite scoring in one third of the matches he played, he was released at the end of the season, dropping down into the Southern League with Corby Town, a club closer to home. However the club was relegated in Dixie's first season despite his goals, and the following season he caught the attention of Northampton Town who paid £5,000 for him in May 1969.
He spent two and a half seasons at the County Ground, scoring a goal in the famous FA Cup match against Manchester United, where George Best scored six times. He then joined fellow Fourth Division side Lincoln City F.C. where he really began to demonstrate his goalscoring abilities. Indeed he would be top scorer at a club for the next five seasons; twice at Lincoln and three times at Hereford United the club for whom he became something of a legend after signing for a £15,000 fee. He helped them achieve promotion to the Second Division, then the second tier of English football, in 1975-76. He was also the top goalscorer of the top four divisions of English football for that season. Hereford were to finish bottom of the Second Division despite Dixie scoring nearly a goal every other game.
In 1977, McNeil moved to Wrexham for £60,000 and again featured in major cup ties scoring the equaliser at The Racecourse Ground to take Blyth Spartans to a replay at St James' Park where he scored the winning goal. He retired from professional football in 1983 but played on in the Welsh National League with Chirk AAA, and also made an appearance in the FA Cup in 1985, at the age of 38. He became Wrexham manager in 1985 and in his first season he managed the club to the Welsh Cup and progression into the European Cup Winners' Cup.
After a spell as assistant manager at Coventry City F.C., McNeil left football for some years but returned as a pundit for BBC Wales and, as of 2007, is manager of NEWI Cefn Druids. He has two sons Jamie and Ritchie, who currently plays for his father's team.
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