After three memorable and successful seasons, Beth Merrick’s chapter at Wolves Women has drawn to a close.
The 28-year-old has departed Wolves this summer and leaves as a centurion following her 102 appearances in Old Gold.
A season ticket holder at Molineux since a young age, Merrick first joined her beloved Wolves at senior level in June 2021 and went on to enjoy a three-year spell which included scoring 36 goals and lifting three trophies.
Merrick won the double in her first season at Wolves, as Dan McNamara’s side sealed the Northern Premier Division title and Birmingham Challenge Cup in the same campaign, narrowly missing out on a place in the second tier following defeat in the play-off final.
In her second season, Merrick was again a key performer, this time helping the side to a second-place finish and only just losing out on the title on goal difference. However, a second successive Birmingham Challenge Cup was lifted at Molineux in a season where Merrick also scored a brace against Huddersfield Town on the hallowed Molineux turf.
Although the team were unable to reach the heights of 2021/22 and 2022/23 last time out, Merrick continued to play her part and hit double figures (11) in her 33 appearances which saw Wolves reach a third Birmingham Challenge Cup final on the bounce and progress into the fifth round of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup for the first time in modern history.
Merrick’s equaliser helped Wolves defeat then Championship outfit Reading back in January, before her penalty got the Old Gold back on level terms as McNamara’s side took Women’s Super League opposition Brighton & Hove Albion all the way in the fifth round.
Appearance number 100 arrived in May this year, just days after Merrick had dramatically clinched a sensational winner against Nottingham Forest, when Wolves came from three goals down to win 4-3 – the goal that eventually went on to win the Goal of the Season award.
Completing a dramatic turnaround in stoppage time 🤯
— Wolves Women FC (@WolvesWomen) May 13, 2024
Beth Merrick's late winner against Nottingham Forest in April was voted as our Goal of the Season ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/oPUi5nR4eR
With three years of special moments and memories created in the bank, manager McNamara has reflected on Merrick’s impact at the club and said: “Beth’s three years at Wolves have been nothing short of remarkable. She’s a player that I dreamt of working with when I first took over at Wolves. Those kind of players were a far cry from where we were at and then when we did go into tier three, Beth actually made contact and to get the opportunity to play a part in her footballing journey has been an absolute pleasure.
“She’s an amazing person and her football talent speaks for itself. She’s one of the finest technicians in tier three and I think it’s a huge shame that she’s decided to step away but, ultimately, as a player, you have to know when the time is right and Beth’s decided that the time is right to step away from Wolves.
“She’ll be a huge loss in our eyes and I know she was a fan favourite. A lot of people looked up to her, a lot of people have her name on the back of their shirt and won’t have expected this over the summer, but this is football and sometimes we have to deal with these setbacks and losing big players.”
McNamara has concluded by paying tribute to Merrick and the support network around her, while admitting that her character around the club and in the dressing room will be missed.
“Beth will be remembered for being part of that new era of players that came in and really drove the club forward,” McNamara continued. “In the first season we had together she went on and won the league title. I always said I had a real ambition with Beth to give her her 100th Championship appearance – I think she’s stuck on 99. I really felt we could do that with her. Hopefully one day we will see her right at the very top again where she belongs.
“I wish her the best of luck – her and her family. I used to enjoy speaking to her dad at the end of games and we’d analyse Beth’s performance together. I know her family are huge Wolves fans and her mum, dad and boyfriend Ben were all very supportive of her at the games.
“Not having Beth in and around the group will be difficult. She was a character in the dressing room and anyone that knows me and Beth know that we had a strange relationship at times. We would be at each other, but it was always for the best intentions of her as an individual and us as a group.
“For now, it’s a thank you from me for helping me personally over the last few years but also helping Wolves achieve some of the best moments and giving us some of the best memories that this club’s had in its recent history.”
