Recently, a book about Frank Large’s life was published, told by the words of his son, highlighting his impressive football career. He had a brief time at Leicester, but Bobby Robson, the Fulham manager at the time, in 1968, chose to sign him in a deal that sent Allan Clarke in the opposite direction.
Retiring in 1974 with 209 League goals under his belt – and presumably an expoert knowledge of the geography of Britain – Frank was one of the old have boots will travel brigade an anachromistically effective bustling centre-forward who could terrify goalkeepers with nothing more than a smile in their direction.
It looked a desperate measure for City to give him his first break in the top flight, but the two-thirds of a season he spent leading the Filbert Street attack remain utterly memorable – for his bravery, his unselfish lay offs, his aerial power, and his sheer infectious delight that First Division defences were as suspectible to his barnstorming style as had been those at lower levels.
When City included Frank in the package deal which secured Allan Clarke there was a distinct sense of loss to be set against the excitement of a record buy – and the club’s history might have been a lot different if Frank had been around for hte relegation battles of 1969. (Matt Gillies did, in fact, bid to recapture Frank, but Fulham quoted a distinctly inflated fee).
As it was, he was soon back at the County Ground for a third stin with the Cobblers. With Northampton, he had previously wo a Third Division champoinship medal and had experienced relegation back, while he had repreated those contrastinc achievements at other junctures with Carlisle and Fulham respectively. Frank, orginally a railway worker, also believed to have ran a farm in Ireland.
Frank Large died in 2003, 63 years of age.
FACTFILE:
- Full Name: Frank Large
- Position: Forward
- Date of Birth: 26.01.1940
- Birthplace: Leeds
- Nation: England
- Caps / Goals: – / –
- Major League Career:
- 1958-62, Halifax Town (133/50)
- 1962, QPR (18/5)
- 1962-63, Northampton Town (47/30)
- 1963-64, Swindon Town (91/8)
- 1964-66, Carlisle United (51/18)
- 1966, Oldham Athletic (34/18)
- 1966-67, Northampton Town (37/15)
- 1967-68, Leicester City (26/8)
- 1968-69, Fulham (24/3)
- 1969-72, Northampton Town (136/43)
- 1972-74, Chesterfield (46/15)
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