Bobby Drake’s decision to resign the player manager position and to remain as a player only at the end of the 1971/72 season saw the club again seeking a replacement manager.
The preoccupation with appointing player managers and in the absence of a suitable candidate within the first team squad, saw the Club placing an external advertisement. As a consequence, John Meredith was appointed as player manager and was finally introduced to Hastings supporters at the Pilot Field before the home match against Ramsgate Athletic on 30th August 1972.
John Meredith was born on 23 September 1940 in Hatfield and signed for Doncaster Rovers in 1958. His football league career took him subsequently to Sheffield Wednesday (1961-1962), Chesterfield (1962-1964), Gillingham (1964-69) and AFC Bournemouth  (1969-1971). During his 13-year professional career John made 419 first team appearances and scored 22 goals, operating either as a midfielder or a wide player. He was longest at Gillingham where he made 228 appearances. He is fondly remembered by longstanding Gillingham supporters, one of whom recalls
“Signings  made on transfer deadline day are often looked on as a bit of a panic, and down the years there have not been too many Gillingham ones who have stood the test. That certainly didn’t apply to Freddie Cox’s transfer deadline swoop for John Meredith, paying Chesterfield the significant sum of £5,000 for the 23 year old outside-left. Meredith was an extremely gifted player, naturally left-footed, who could take on and beat his marker and put over beautifully flighted crosses to the front men. His willowy appearance hid a tough physique, and from the time he signed until January 1968 he was ever present, establishing a club record of 192 consecutive appearances in all competitions. The first of these was the Good Friday match at home to Aldershot, as Gills fought to get back to the top of the League. Grandad remembered it well.”
During his tenure at Hastings John commuted from Bournemouth. With Secretary Pater Blackman writing the Secretary’s notes for home match programmes and with infrequent Manager’s notes it is difficult to get a measure of what John brought to the club and what his views were. The 1972/73 season was equally bland and United finished in a mid table position, with Maidstone United finishing as champions. The season concluded with a friendly against Bournemouth (Meredith’s last league club) and the programme notes thanked both managers for arranging the fixture. Managing Bournemouth was John Bond who included Harry Rednapp as substitute, and Phil Boyer ( formerly of Derby County).
Meredith started the following season having secured the signature of striker John Ripley from Dartford.  Early season success was marred when striker John Ripley sustained a broken arm. Meredith also brought fill back Steve Jeapes to the club, a former Bournemouth player, and Jeapes was to make a name for himself  both locally and nationally in Crown Bowls when he gave up semi professional football.
Season 1973/74 was disrupted by the state of emergency nationally with the introduction of a three day working week and restrictions on the availability of an electricity supply. As a consequence floodlit football matches were not permitted. The match programme for 24 November 1973 confirmed that John Meredith had resigned his player manager role as he was finding the travelling from Bournemouth difficult. The board of Directors decided “not to appoint a manager at this juncture and have appointed John Ripley as player coach for a trial period, especially as John (Ripley) seems to have rekindled the enthusiasm of the lads in their last two matches.”
Nothing is known of John Meredith’s subsequent movements after he left his role with Hastings United.