He made his debut in the First Division with Grimsby Town in the 1938–39 season,[1] but his career was disrupted by the Second World War.
[2] According to a Scunthorpe United match programme feature, he was "the old fashion centre half, brilliant in the air, accurate in his passing and cool in the tackle.
Dick Taylor took over as Villa manager late in the 1963–64 season after Mercer resigned due to ill-health, and succeeded in avoiding relegation, which resulted in him being handed the job on a full-time basis.
Unfortunately his investment failed disastrously, resulting in them being relegated to the Second Division of English football and plunging the club deep into financial trouble.
Taylor was sacked not long afterwards, and subsequently ran a sports shop near the club's Villa Park stadium.