From the Archives - Meadows joins the Bulls

According to the PA, Billy Meadows joined Hereford United on July 29th 1970, 41 years ago today. In his first nine league games he scored eight goals and later scored a hat-trick against Kidderminster in the FA Cup.

Hereford pay Barnet £300 for centre forward Billy Meadows to replace John Charles in attack. Billy was one of the greatest goalscorers in Barnet's history, averaging a goal every two games in some 250 appearances for the Bees. He netted 78 when he first joined the club in 1968 but he soon became a Hereford United favourite.

In fact, Billy was a member of United's Southern League side that memorably beat Newcastle United 2-1 a match that established Barnet fan John Motson as a top BBC television commentator!

Ricky George, who scored Hereford's winner that day and played alongside Billy with both the Bees and the Bulls, recalled: “The night before, John Shrewsbury, Motty, Billy Meadows, and I went out for dinner. We returned to the Green Dragon hotel in Hereford at around 10.30 and bumped into Jackie Milburn [Newcastle's greatest centre forward, a star of the 1950s].

“He said ‘nice to meet you son, but if I was your manager I'd have you in bed by now’. I replied ‘if I come on tomorrow and score the winning goal, nobody will mind will they?” I lived in Barnet and a convoy of four cars drove back to Billy Meadows' house in London to watch Match of the Day over fish and chips and a few cans of lager.

“On the way we stopped for petrol. A very school-boyish Motty ran from his car and said ‘it’s just dawned on me that you've created history!’” Billy later returned to Barnet as player-manager and signed Jimmy Greaves, arguably England's greatest-ever goal-scorer, for the club along with other star names.

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