Frank was a popular figure with everyone who knew him at Broad Lane having been involved with the club for well over fifteen years or so. Throughout that time he served on the club’s committee and was our groundsman as well as doing much of the maintenance work about the place. A decent footballer in his younger days, Frank spent time on the books of Crystal Palace and was known and always welcomed by members of the Croydon F.C committee whenever the Dragons visited them in the Isthmian League. He also dabbled in Football Management with Croydon Amateurs and, if I remember rightly, was also involved with Wooten Bassett when he moved down there.
I spent many years helping Frank at the club and also going to football matches with him around the local area and have many fond memories and stories about him. One classic had to be when I arrived at the ground to help him with preparations for the opening game of the 1987/88 season against Barton Rovers only to be informed that he had had a suspected heart attack on the pitch. I was then told that, as they were loading him into the ambulance, he was more concerned that he had not finished cutting the far end penalty area than he was worrying about his own health !!. That was typical of Frank. Even during an 18 month battle with cancer of the pancreas, his love of Wivenhoe Town Football Club saw him continue to work around the ground despite his illness almost until the very end. Sadly Frank passed away in June 2000 having made an immense contribution to the running of the club.
Frank gives the “thumbs up” following a 5-0 Dragons win at Hertford Town. Pictured above are also former Secretary Ron Bennett (middle) and long serving club Official Dave Poore.
