Billy Frith
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | William Frith[1] | ||
Date of birth | [2] | 9 June 1912||
Place of birth | Sheffield, England[2] | ||
Date of death | 1996 (aged 83–84)[2] | ||
Height | 5 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1.74 m)[3] | ||
Position(s) |
Wing half[2] | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1930 | Worksop Town | ||
1931 | Mansfield Town | ||
1931–1932 | Chesterfield | 9 | (3) |
1932–1939 | Coventry City | 165 | (4) |
1945–1946 | Port Vale | 0 | (0) |
1946–1947 | Coventry City | 7 | (0) |
Managerial career | |||
1945–1946 | Port Vale | ||
1947–1948 | Coventry City | ||
1948–1950 | Stafford Rangers | ||
Rugby Town | |||
1957–1961 | Coventry City | ||
1963–1965 | Chelmsford City | ||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
William Frith (9 June 1912 – 1996) was an English football player and manager.
Starting his career with Worksop Town, Mansfield Town, and Chesterfield; he won a move to Coventry City in 1932. He stayed with the club right up until the outbreak of World War II, helping the club to finish 1935–36 as Third Division South champions, and played a total of 165 games for the club in the Football League.
In 1945 he was appointed as manager of Port Vale, before he returned to Coventry as manager in 1947. His time at both clubs was unsuccessful, and he spent the next decade in non-League football as manager of Stafford Rangers and Rugby Town. He returned to Coventry as manager in 1957 and led the club to promotion out of the Fourth Division in 1958–59, but was sacked in 1961. His last management post was at Chelmsford City between 1963 and 1965, he led the club to second in the Southern League in 1963–64.
Playing career
Frith played as a
Managerial career
Port Vale
Frith was appointed manager of Port Vale in August 1945. The 1945–46 season was uneventful and he seemed to settle into management quite well. In preparation for the first season of post-war football, he signed experienced forward Colin Lyman from Tottenham Hotspur for 'fairly substantial fee', full-back Garth Butler from Derby County, and half-back Norman Hallam from Chelsea. He sold goalkeeper Arthur Jepson to Stoke City for £3,750. However, after a poor start to the season, he resigned in October 1946 over a policy difference with the club's directors. He claimed the board refused to back his suggestions for new players, interfered in team selection and failed to grant him a three-year contract – claims which the club denied.[6] The "Valiants" went on to finish the 1946–47 campaign in tenth place in the Third Division South under Gordon Hodgson.
Coventry City
After leaving Port Vale, Frith returned to
Following spells in charge at non-league clubs Stafford Rangers and Rugby Town, he rejoined Coventry City as a coach and was once again appointed manager in September 1957.[7] His side ended 1957–58 in nineteenth place in the Third Division South, and so were invited to become founder members of the Fourth Division in 1958–59. He then took the club to a second-place finish in 1958–59, four points behind champions Port Vale, his former club; City were therefore promoted into the Third Division.
His side flirted with the prospect of a second-successive promotion in 1959–60, but ultimately finished in fifth place. They failed to push for promotion in 1960–61, and ended the campaign in fifteenth place. On what was known as 'Black Saturday', 25 November 1961, Coventry were dumped out of the FA Cup by non-league King's Lynn, and Frith was sacked by chairman Derrick Robins.[7][9] He was replaced by Jimmy Hill, who took Coventry to a fourteenth-place finish in 1961–62. He later managed Chelmsford City, and led the "Clarets" to second and fifth-place finishes in the Southern League in 1963–64 and 1964–65. He later worked as a teacher until retiring in 1977.[8]
Career statistics
Club | Season | League | FA Cup | Other[A] | Total | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Chesterfield | 1931–32 | Second Division | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 3 |
Coventry City | 1932–33 | Third Division South | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
1933–34 | Third Division South | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 1 | |
1934–35 | Third Division South | 22 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 27 | 0 | |
1935–36 | Third Division South | 30 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 34 | 3 | |
1936–37 | Second Division | 28 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 1 | |
1937–38 | Second Division | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 0 | |
1938–39 | Second Division | 39 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 0 | |
1939–40 | Second Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
1946–47 | Second Division | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | |
Total | 169 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 187 | 6 | ||
Port Vale | 1946–47 | Third Division South | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career total | 178 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 196 | 9 |
Managerial statistics
Team | From | To | Record | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
P | W | D | L | Win % | |||
Port Vale | 1 August 1945 | 1 October 1946 | 13 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 38.5 |
Coventry City | 1 February 1947 | 29 November 1948 | 85 | 27 | 23 | 35 | 31.8 |
Coventry City | 25 September 1957 | 29 November 1961 | 204 | 84 | 49 | 71 | 41.2 |
Total | 302 | 116 | 77 | 109 | 38.4 |
Honours
Coventry City
- Football League Third Division South: 1935–36
- Football League Fourth Division second-place promotion: 1958–59
References
- ^ "Billy Frith". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
- ^ a b c d e "Billy Frith". Post War English & Scottish Football League A - Z Player's Transfer Database. Retrieved 26 November 2011.
- ^ "Coventry City. Good halves but a weakness in defence". Sunday Dispatch Football Guide. London. 23 August 1936. p. vi – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Debut scorers". Google Docs. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
- ISBN 1-899468-67-6.
- ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
- ^ a b c "Previous Managers". ccfc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 18 April 2010. Retrieved 26 November 2011.
- ^ a b "Blast From The Past: On This Day 1912 – Billy Frith (CCFC Player & Two Time 'Gaffer') Was Born : Coventry City Former Players Association || CCFPA". www.ccfpa.co.uk. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
- ^ "Coventry City Football Club". BBC. 8 June 2004. Retrieved 9 January 2009.
- ^ a b Billy Frith at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
- ^ Billy Frith management career statistics at Soccerbase