AY UP, IT’S LEE FRICK-LINGTON
LEE Frecklington was ready to hang up his boots on a glittering career until uncle Dave came calling!
The midfielder has taken a four-league drop to sign for Frickley Athletic after rediscovering his love for game in training sessions with the Northern Premier League South East club.
Frecklington, 35, the nephew of Blues boss Dave, 44, was released by Lincoln City in 2020 after an injury-hit spell and didn’t have any plans to continue playing.
But lockdown gave him a different perspective and his uncle, who he played alongside at Stamford in 2005, was more than happy to link up with him again.
“It made him realise he’s only 35 and he’s still fit,” Dave told The NLP. “He came training for a couple of sessions and really enjoyed it, and I think that’s what made him commit.
“With me being in management, it was an easy sell for him to come in and see if he enjoyed it again. He’s super fit and wants to be successful, he’s not here to just play his career out.
“He’s had a lot of offers and while they’ve been good and attractive, the family connection has been a big factor but also it fits around his lifestyle with him finishing professional football.”
Lee won two promotions to the Championship with Peterborough United and Rotherham United, having also won League Two twice with the Millers and Lincoln.
He’s been training with Frickley who decided to keep the option open to players during this period, despite few deals having been handed out yet, before returning to proper pre-season in July following a break in June.
Eternity
Dave is yet to complete a season with the club since joining in 2019, but has made healthy strides towards returning Frickley to Step 3.
“My phone has been red hot this week with the signing of Lee but we’ve managed to do a couple of agreements with other players who will make us stronger next year,” said Dave, who recently signed a new two-year deal.
“When we came in the team was rock bottom – played seven, lost seven – and by Christmas we had climbed up in the play-offs.
“On the back of that we lost half the squad to clubs higher up. It was another rebuild and then obviously it got called off again. We’ve been here what feels like an eternity and we’ve not completed a full season!
“I’ve had offers from other clubs from higher up but I’m happy where I am and want to see it through.”