Jack Froggatt (17 November 1922 – 17 February 1993) 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 ...
.
Career
Coming from a footballing family, Froggatt started his football career in 1945, whilst in the
RAF
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
. Froggatt's uncle,
Frank
Frank or Franks may refer to:
People
* Frank (given name)
* Frank (surname)
* Franks (surname)
* Franks, a medieval Germanic people
* Frank, a term in the Muslim world for all western Europeans, particularly during the Crusades - see Farang
Curr ...
and cousin,
Redfern Froggatt
Redfern Froggatt (23 August 1924 – 26 December 2003) was an English footballer for Sheffield Wednesday and England. In total he received four England caps scoring 2 goals.
Club career
In 1942 'Red' was signed from Sheffield YMCA but did not ...
both played for
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot of ...
, with the latter racking up 434 games for The Owls.
Previously working in his father's butcher shop, the
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...
-born winger signed for
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
as a
centre-half
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...
but managed to persuade manager
Jack Tinn
John William Tinn (20 January 1878 - 13 March 1971) was an English football manager. He managed South Shields in the early 1920s and Portsmouth from 1927 until 1947.
Career
Tinn became manager of South Shields in 1919, the year they were elec ...
to play him as an
outside-left
Forwards (also known as attackers) are Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring Goal (sport)#Association footbal ...
. Froggatt crowned his Pompey debut in 1945 with a second-half goal at
The Dell in a
War League South match with
South Coast derby rivals
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
and went on to become a regular goalscorer. He had alarming speed, excellent ball control and was very strong in the air, making him one of the most versatile players Pompey have ever had.
A stocky player, who was known for his robust running and sharp shooting, 'Jolly Jack' earned his first
cap
A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...
for
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
on 6 November 1949, where he scored on his international debut, from the outside-left position in a 9–2 victory over
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
at
Maine Road
Maine Road was a football stadium in Moss Side, Manchester, England, that was home to Manchester City F.C. from 1923 to 2003. It hosted FA Cup semi-finals, the Charity Shield, a League Cup final and England matches. Maine Road's highest atte ...
.
For his Club, Froggatt formed part of the formidable trio with
Jimmy Scoular
James Scoular (11 January 1925 – 19 March 1998) was a Scottish football player and manager. Known as a tough, combative player with precise passing skills, Scoular made over 600 appearances in the Football League with Portsmouth, Newcastle ...
and
Jimmy Dickinson
James William Dickinson Order of the British Empire, MBE (25 April 1925 – 8 November 1982) was an English association football, footballer who played as a wing half, left half.
Dickinson holds the record for number of league appearances fo ...
, which was often seen as the most powerful half-back line in immediate post-war football as Pompey won consecutive
first division titles in
1948–49 and
1949–50.
With
Duggie Reid
John Douglas Jamieson Reid (3 October 1917 – 8 February 2002) was a Scottish footballer. An inside forward, he played for Stockport County and Portsmouth.
Born in West Kilbride, Reid started his working life as an apprentice plumber in Manche ...
taking the number 5 shirt in Froggatt's last season, Froggatt reverted to the wing again. Reluctantly leaving in March 1954, the winger went on to play 143 matches for
Leicester City
Leicester ( ) is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the National ...
, scoring 18 goals. In September 1957 Froggatt went on to sign for
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 ...
for a fee of £6000.
Froggatt made his debut at
Rockingham Road
Rockingham Road was a football stadium in Kettering, Northamptonshire, England. It was home to Kettering Town F.C. from 1897 until 2011.
At the time of its closure, the ground had a capacity of 6,264, of which 1,800 was seated.
In September 2 ...
in November 1957 in the 3–1 win over
Barry Town in front of 3,819, he scored his first goal for the club against
Cheltenham Town
Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. From the 2021–22 season, the club compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league sy ...
two weeks later in the home 2–1 win.
During his Poppies career Froggatt scored three
hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...
s, the first in the 6-4 thriller against
Spalding United in the
1st Qualifying round of the
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
, in October 1958. His second hat-trick was scored in April 1959 in the
Southern League North West Division against
Kidderminster Harriers
Kidderminster Harriers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England. The team compete in the National League North, at the sixth tier of the English football league system. Formed in ...
as the Poppies ran out 4-3 victors at Rockingham Road during their
promotion
Promotion may refer to:
Marketing
* Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...
season. His final trio came against
Gloucester City on 15 April 1961 as Kettering ran out a 6–1 score line in the Southern League Division One, a Championship season as the Poppies returned to the Southern League Premier.
Froggatt was the player/manager of the club from January 1958, replacing
Harry Mather
Harold Mather (24 January 1921 – 1 March 1999) was an English professional 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 footb ...
until September 1961. Under his tenure in the hot seat he saw promotion, a relegation and a Championship season. Froggatt was succeeded by
Wally Akers, but he still continued to play for the Poppies. His final league game for the Poppies came in the 1–3 defeat by
Chelmsford City
Chelmsford City Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Chelmsford, Essex, England. Currently members of they play at the Melbourne Stadium.
History Chelmsford
Chelmsford Football Club was established in 1878 by members of ...
on 23 March 1963.
Froggatt's 20-year football career came to an end on 6 May 1963, a
benefit match
A benefit is a match or season of activities granted by a sporting body to a loyal sportsman to boost their income before retirement. Often this is in the form of a match for which all the ticket proceeds are given to the player in question. Howeve ...
against one of his former clubs, Portsmouth. 1,800 turned out to see Pompey race into a 4–0 lead after just 35 minutes, before goals from
Dennis Randall, Froggatt and
George Armour
George Armour (24 April 1812 – 13 June 1881) was a Scottish American businessman and philanthropist known for his contributions to the global distribution process for commodities. He is credited with developing the grain elevator system, es ...
made the score more respectable.
Retiring from football, Froggatt returned to Portsmouth to become a publican. For 22 years, he kept the Manor House in
Cosham
Cosham ( or ) is a northern suburb of Portsmouth lying within the city boundary but off Portsea Island. It is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 along with Drayton and Wymering (mainland) and Bocheland ( Buckland), Frodington (Fratton) and C ...
, The Milton Arms near
Fratton Park
Fratton Park is a football ground in Portsmouth, England, which is the home of Portsmouth F.C. Fratton Park remains as the only home football ground in Portsmouth FC's entire history.
The early Fratton Park was designed by local architect A ...
and a hotel in
Partridge Green,
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in South East England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the shire districts of Adur, Arun, Chichester, Horsham, and Mid Sussex, and the boroughs of Crawley and Worthing. Covering an ar ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Froggatt, Jack
1922 births
1993 deaths
English footballers
England international footballers
Association football wingers
English Football League players
Portsmouth F.C. players
Leicester City F.C. players
Kettering Town F.C. players
Footballers from Sheffield
English Football League representative players
Royal Air Force personnel of World War II