FAREWELL TO A MAVERICK FOOTBALLER
Tributes have been paid after the death of soccer star Frank Worthington
FRANK WORTHINGTON was, without doubt, Halifax’s most footballing son. Born in Shelf on 23 November 1948, Frank was part of a footballing family.
His father Eric had turned out for Halifax Town during the war, and older brothers Dave and Bob had followed the path to The Shay.
By the time Frank joined the club as a schoolboy in 1963, Dave was already a first teamer and Bob was knocking on the door.
Frank, hitherto a local league player with Lightcliffe and Ripponden United, turned out for the club’s youth team, evidently intent on living the dream with his hometown club, one he’d supported as a boy when he had been mesmerised by the mercurial talents of George Whitelaw, whose antics often had the crowd in stitches.
Frank wanted to be like him, and had the powers that be had more foresight, then Frank would have started his professional career with them rather than neighbouring Huddersfield Town. But he was whisked from under their noses in April 1964 by former Shay boss Harry Hooper, then chief scout at Huddersfield.
Frank finished it all where he started, back at The Shay, undertaking a coaching role under manager John McGrath during the relegation season of 1992-93, occasionally turning out for the reserve side.
Frank showed he still had tricks up his sleeve when playing in testimonial and charity matches, and was also an entertaining after-dinner speaker, with tales aplenty from his time in the game.
Frank never lost his sense of humour and was engaging company, and it was tragic that he should succumb to the dreaded Alzheimer’s. But he leaves a lasting legacy, a showman if ever there was one, but above all, fantastic football memories from a time when he was the idol of thousands. The game will never see the like again.
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