Frank William Smith (13 October 1897 – July 1988) was an English

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

. He started playing competitive football as an inside forward, but converted to a wing half during his

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

career. Smith started his football career in the town of his birth with

Kettering Town Kettering Town Football Club is a football club based in Burton Latimer, Northamptonshire, England. They are currently members of and play at Latimer Park in Burton Latimer. Kettering were the first club to wear sponsorship on their shirts in ...

, before Watford paid a fee of £125 for his services in March 1921. He remained at the

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...

-based club for the rest of his career, making 319 appearances in the Football League, and a further 22 in the FA Cup. Following his retirement from football in 1932, Smith remained in Hertfordshire, and became a bus driver. He died in July 1988 in

St Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major ...

, aged 90.

References

1897 births 1988 deaths English men's footballers English Football League players Kettering Town F.C. players Watford F.C. players Men's association football inside forwards Men's association football wing halves Footballers from Northamptonshire {{england-footy-forward-1890s-stub