View source for Dixie McNeil

{{inline|date=April 2021}}
{{short description|English footballer and manager}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2018}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2018}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name= Dixie McNeil
| fullname = Richard McNeil
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=y|1947|1|16}}
| birth_place = [[Melton Mowbray]], England
| height = 
| position = [[Striker (football)|Striker]]
| years1 =  ????–1964 
| years2 =  1964–1966 
| years3 =  1966–1967 
| years4 =  1967–1969 
| years5 =  1969–1972 
| years6 =  1972–1974 
| years7 =  1974–1977 
| years8 =  1977–1982 
| years9 =  1982–1983
| years10 = 
| clubs1 =   [[Holwell Sports F.C.|Holwell Works]] 
| clubs2 =  [[Leicester City F.C.|Leicester City]] 
| clubs3 =  [[Exeter City F.C.|Exeter City]] 
| clubs4 =  [[Corby Town F.C.|Corby Town]] 
| clubs5 =  [[Northampton Town F.C.|Northampton Town]] 
| clubs6 =  [[Lincoln City F.C.|Lincoln City]] 
| clubs7 =  [[Hereford United F.C.|Hereford United]] 
| clubs8 =  [[Wrexham A.F.C.|Wrexham]] 
| clubs9 =  [[Hereford United F.C.|Hereford United]] 
| clubs10 = [[Chirk AAA F.C.|Chirk AAA]]
| caps1 =      ?    
| caps2 =    0    
| caps3 =   31   
| caps4 =    0    
| caps5 =   86   
| caps6 =   97   
| caps7 =  129   
| caps8 =  167   
| caps9 =   12    
| goals1 =  ?  
| goals2 =  0  
| goals3 =  11  
| goals4 =  0  
| goals5 =  33  
| goals6 =  53  
| goals7 =  85  
| goals8 =  54  
| goals9 =  3  
| totalcaps = 522
| totalgoals = 239
|  manageryears1 =   1985–1989 
| manageryears2 =  1990–1991 
| manageryears3 =  1991–1992 
| manageryears4 =  1994–1995 
| manageryears5 =  1999–2000 
| manageryears6 =  2004–2007
|  managerclubs1 =   [[Wrexham A.F.C.|Wrexham]] 
| managerclubs2 =  [[Coventry City F.C.|Coventry City]] (assistant)
| managerclubs3 =  [[Hereford United F.C.|Hereford United]] (assistant)
| managerclubs4 =  [[Flint Town United F.C.|Flint Town United]] 
| managerclubs5 =  [[Caernarfon Town F.C.|Caernarfon Town]] 
| managerclubs6 =  [[Cefn Druids A.F.C.|Newi Cefn Druids]]
}}
'''Richard''' "'''Dixie'''" '''McNeil''' (born 16 January 1947) is an English former [[association football|footballer]] and [[Manager (association football)|manager]], who played as a [[Forward (association football)|striker]].

==Playing career==
As a schoolboy, McNeil signed for [[Leicester City F.C.|Leicester City]] after playing for the local club [[Holwell Sports F.C.|Holwell Works]], but he was released without playing for the first team. He made his [[The Football League|Football League]] debut for [[Exeter City F.C.|Exeter City]] in the [[1966-67 in English football|1966-67 season]] against [[Wrexham A.F.C.|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 Football League|Southern League]] with [[Corby Town F.C.|Corby Town]], who were relegated in McNeil's first season. [[Northampton Town F.C.|Northampton Town]] then bought him for £5,000 in May 1969.

McNeil spent two and a half seasons at Northampton, scoring in the [[FA Cup]] match against [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] in which [[George Best]] scored six times. He then joined fellow Fourth Division side [[Lincoln City F.C.|Lincoln City]]. He would be the top scorer at a club for the next five seasons, twice at Lincoln and three times at [[Hereford United F.C.|Hereford United]] after a £15,000 transfer. He helped Hereford achieve promotion to the [[Football League Championship|Second Division]] of English football in [[1975-76 in English football|1975-76]]. He was also the top goalscorer of the top four divisions of English football that season. Hereford finished bottom of the Second Division the following season despite McNeil scoring nearly a goal every other game.

In 1977, McNeil moved to [[Wrexham A.F.C.|Wrexham]] for £60,000. He scored the equaliser at the [[Racecourse Ground]] against [[Blyth Spartans A.F.C.|Blyth Spartans]], which took the club to an FA Cup 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 F.C.|Chirk AAA]], and also made an appearance in the FA Cup in 1985, at the age of 38.

==Management career==
McNeil became Wrexham manager in 1985 winning the [[Welsh Cup]] and progressing to the [[UEFA Cup Winners' Cup|European Cup Winners' Cup]] in his first season.

After a spell as assistant manager at [[Coventry City F.C.|Coventry City]], McNeil became a sales representative with [[Marston's Brewery]], as well as reporting on Wrexham's games for local radio. In November 1993 he returned to football management as manager of [[Welsh Premier League|League of Wales]] side [[Flint Town United F.C.|Flint Town United]], leading them from near relegation certainties to finish the season in fourth position. He was awarded a testimonial by Wrexham, against Kevin Keegan's Premier League side, [[Newcastle United F.C.|Newcastle United]] in 1994.

McNeil returned to management in January 2000 as manager of struggling League of Wales side [[Caernarfon Town F.C.|Caernarfon Town]]. His first win with Caernarfon was to beat [[Swansea City A.F.C.|Swansea City]] in the [[FAW Premier Cup]] quarter-final. He later became manager of another League of Wales club, [[Cefn Druids A.F.C.|Cefn Druids]].

==External links==
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/northeast/guides/halloffame/sport/dixie_mcneill.shtml BBC Wales Hall of Fame]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070928042316/http://www.red-passion.com/issue11/dixie.htm Interview with McNeil]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061207150122/http://www.football-england.com/dixie_mcneil.html football-england.com biography]

{{Navboxes colour
|title=Awards
|bg=gold
|fg=navy
|list1=
{{1975–76 Football League Third Division PFA Team of the Year}}
{{1977–78 Football League Third Division PFA Team of the Year}}
{{English Third Division top scorers}}
{{Wrexham A.F.C. Player of the Year}}
{{Hereford United F.C. Player of the Year}}
}}
{{Wrexham A.F.C. managers}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:McNeil, Dixie}}
[[Category:1947 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Footballers from Melton Mowbray]]
[[Category:English men's footballers]]
[[Category:Men's association football forwards]]
[[Category:Holwell Sports F.C. players]]
[[Category:Leicester City F.C. players]]
[[Category:Exeter City F.C. players]]
[[Category:Corby Town F.C. players]]
[[Category:Northampton Town F.C. players]]
[[Category:Lincoln City F.C. players]]
[[Category:Hereford United F.C. players]]
[[Category:Wrexham A.F.C. players]]
[[Category:Chirk AAA F.C. players]]
[[Category:English Football League players]]
[[Category:Southern Football League players]]
[[Category:English football managers]]
[[Category:Wrexham A.F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Flint Town United F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Caernarfon Town F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Cefn Druids A.F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Coventry City F.C. non-playing staff]] 
[[Category:Hereford United F.C. non-playing staff]]