Family arrival makes Meredith’s great day

SATURDAY could not have worked out more perfectly for James Meredith – with the presence of a surprise guest at Wembley crowning his unforgettable day.

The bucaneering Aussie left-back was cheered on by plenty of friends watching the game on TV late at night 10,500 miles away in his native Melbourne – from where his father Greg flew in to support him.

Meredith said: “My father didn’t tell me he was flying over. It was really great to see him.”

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The former York City defender, who missed the Capital One Cup final encounter with Swansea due to a debilitating bout of glandular fever, added: “I was gutted to miss that final as I tried so hard to get healthy for it. But glandular fever just knocks you for six.

“I was there, shivering behind the bench. I felt like I let the fans down a little bit. But look where we are now; it’s fantastic.”

Citing the withering post-mortem following the 4-1 loss at Exeter on March 16 as being the catalyst to City’s stunning end-of-season charge, which saw them lose just three times in 18 games, Meredith said: “It was a really aggressive chat by the manager and pulled everyone together.

“It was like a rocket was shoved up us and it certainly worked, because we reacted in a positive manner.

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“In the next 10 games, we only lost once and I think we showed the fans, and everyone in Yorkshire, the amount of heart that this team has got.”

“We fought back in the Burton Albion semi-final when we were down and showed enormous character to qualify – and in the final, we really punished Northampton.”