In June 1893, he moved south of the border to join Sunderland for whom he made 60 appearances, scoring once,[5] helping them to become Football League champions in 1894–95.
[6] While at Sunderland, he was the subject of a dispute in the West Lothian Courier, when a contributor challenged his right to register to vote at Broxburn while living and working in England.
[4][3][1] In January 1897, Meehan joined Everton for a £450 transfer fee that was split between Celtic and Sunderland,[3][1] (Divers made the same move) and quickly helped them reach the final of the FA Cup in 1897, which was won 3–2 by Aston Villa.
[11] In August 1898, Meehan moved to the south coast for a club record fee of £200,[2] when he joined a Southampton team that was dominating the Southern League and contained a host of international and ex-First Division players.
So good were they that they easily despatched three top flight clubs, including Meehan's former Everton teammates, on their way to the 1900 FA Cup Final against Bury.
The cause of his death was variously attributed to appendicitis or pneumonia brought about after spending a night in the snow looking for a missing relative,[2] possibly aggravated by his work as a miner.