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.
Merrick was a vital performer again in her second season, this time leading the team to second place and only missing out on the trophy by goal difference. However, Merrick lifted the Birmingham Challenge Cup for the second time in a row at Molineux, during a season in which he also scored twice against Huddersfield Town.
Although the team did not reach the heights of 2021/22 and 2022/23 the previous season, Merrick continued to play her part, scoring 11 goals in 33 appearances to help Wolves reach their third Birmingham Challenge Cup final in a row and advance to the fifth round of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup for the first time in modern history.
Merrick’s equaliser helped.
Wolves overcome then Championship outfit Reading back in January, before her penalty got the Old Gold back on equal terms as McNamara’s side took Women’s Super League opposition Brighton & Hove Albion all the way in the fifth round.
Completing a dramatic turnaround in stoppage time 🤯
Beth Merrick's late winner against Nottingham Forest in April was voted as our Goal of the Season ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/oPUi5nR4eR
— Wolves Women FC (@WolvesWomen) May 13, 2024
Appearance number 100 arrived in May of this year, only days after Merrick scored a remarkable winner against Nottingham Forest, as Wolves rallied from three goals behind to win 4-3 – the goal that went on to earn the Goal of the Season title.
With three years of wonderful experiences and memories in the bank, manager McNamara remarked on Merrick’s impact at the club, saying: “Beth’s three years at Wolves have been nothing short of remarkable.” She’s a player I dreamed about. 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 to win the league title. I’ve always stated I wanted to give Beth her 100th Championship appearance, but I believe she’s stuck at 99. I believed we could do it with her. Hopefully, one day we will see her back at the very top, where she belongs.”I wish her and her family the very best of luck. I used to like conversing with her father after games and discussing Beth’s performance. I know her family is avid Wolves fans, and her mother, father, and boyfriend Ben were all quite supportive of her at the games.
“Without Beth in and around the group, things will be difficult.” She was a character
Anyone who knows me and Beth understands that we had a peculiar relationship at times. We’d be at each other, but it was always with the best intentions for 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.”
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