Frank Worthington
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| Frank Worthington | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Frank Stewart Worthington | |
| Date of birth | November 23, 1948 (age 58) | |
| Place of birth | Halifax, England | |
| Playing position | Forward | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1966-1972 1972-1977 1977-1979 1979 1979-1982 1981 1982 1982-1983 1983-1984 1984-1985 1985-1987 1987 1987-1988 |
Huddersfield Town Leicester City Bolton Wanderers → Philadelphia Fury (loan) Birmingham City → Tampa Bay Rowdies (loan) Leeds United Sunderland Southampton Brighton & Hove Albion Tranmere Rovers Preston North End Stockport County |
171 (41) 210 (72) 84 (35) 21 (10) 75 (29) 26 (11) 32 (14) 19 (2) 34 (4) 31 (7) 59 (21) 23 (3) 19 (6) |
| National team | ||
| 1974-1975 | England | 8 (2) |
| Teams managed | ||
| 1985-1987 | Tranmere Rovers | |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
||
Frank Stewart Worthington (born November 23, 1948 in Shelf near Halifax, Yorkshire) is a former English footballer. Frank was born into a footballing family. Both of his parents had played the game and his two older brothers, Dave and Bob, became professional footballers, both began their careers with Halifax Town.
He began his career as a forward for Huddersfield Town in 1966 before playing for Leicester City, Bolton Wanderers, Birmingham City, Leeds United, Sunderland, Southampton, Brighton and Hove Albion, Tranmere Rovers, Preston North End and Stockport County. Worthington played into his 40s making 757 League appearances and scoring 234 goals. He also played in the United States (with NASL teams Philadelphia Fury and Tampa Bay Rowdies), South Africa, Sweden and in English non-League football.
Worthington won eight caps for England in 1974, scoring two goals.
Frank's spell at Tranmere was as player-manager and although he had some success he did not return to management.
Frank was a talented, flamboyant and freescoring player, delighting supporters with his skill and showmanship. With his long hair and big sideburns, Frank also had the reputation for enjoying the high life, which probably restricted his international appearances.
Following retirement from the game Frank turned to the after-dinner speaking circuit and also published his autobiography. Reflecting his interest in the ladies it featured a smiling Frank on the front cover, contemplating putting lumps of sugar in his cup of tea, but with the title "One Hump Or Two".
Worthington is remembered for scoring one of the goals of the 1970s playing for Bolton v Ipswich on 21st April 1979. Having his back to goal at the edge of the 18 yard box, he controlled the ball with his knee, flicked it over his head, turned and volleyed it past the keeper.
The ball boy celebrating the famous goal vs Ipswich is Julian Darby who later played for Bolton Wanderers.
[edit] References
- Frank Worthington (1994). One Hump or Two?. Polar Print Group. ISBN 1-8995380-0-3.
[edit] External links
- Frank Worthington management career stats at Soccerbase
- Frank Worthington Sports Speaker Gordon Poole.com
- Englandfootballonline England The National Team
- Frank Worthington Bob's 70-71 Footballers
- Article on Leeds Legends website
Categories: 1948 births | Living people | People from Halifax, West Yorkshire | English footballers | England international footballers | Huddersfield Town F.C. players | Leicester City F.C. players | Bolton Wanderers F.C. players | Birmingham City F.C. players | Leeds United AFC players | NASL players | Philadelphia Fury players | Tampa Bay Rowdies (NASL) players | Sunderland A.F.C. players | Southampton F.C. players | Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. players | Tranmere Rovers F.C. players | Preston North End F.C. players | Stockport County F.C. players
