Hednesford Town snap up ex-Southampton youngster before season opener

Hednesford Town have secured the signing of Will Merry following his departure from Championship side Southampton.

Merry featured as a trialist during the Pitmen’s pre-season victory over Boston United and has now joined Kelvin Davis’ side on the eve of the new campaign.

The 20-year-old is reunited with Davis, having previously played under the Hednesford boss during a loan spell at Eastleigh in 2024. His time with the Spitfires, during the closing stages of the 2023/24 season, marked the first senior loan of his career.

Merry also spent the latter part of last season on loan at National League side Yeovil Town, where he played alongside Aaron Jarvis, who joined the Pitmen earlier this summer.

The attacker progressed through Southampton’s academy after joining the club at the age of eight, becoming a regular in the Saints’ Premier League 2 side.

He signed his first professional contract in 2023, aged 17, before agreeing a one-year extension last summer that kept him at St Mary’s through the 2025/26 season.

Merry now arrives at Keys Park after leaving Southampton this summer, ahead of Hednesford’s National League North opener at Merthyr Town.

He is the latest addition to an ambitious summer rebuild at Keys Park, where the Pitmen have overseen a significant squad overhaul following back-to-back promotions, recruiting players from across the Football League and the higher reaches of non-league football.