Dudley: Frank Ernest (Frank)

1949-1951 (Player Details)

Inside Forward

Born: Southend: 09-05-1925

Debut: v West Ham United (a): 22-08-1949

5’11” 10st 12lb (1950)

As a fifteen year-old, Dudley was only 5’4” and had no ambitions to be a footballer, but when he shot up another six inches he joined his native Southend United as an amateur trialist in September 1945, turning professional the following month. An energetic and enthuisiastic player, Frank played very little football after leaving school until for reasons best known to himself he applied to Southend for a trial. With Wilf Copping as trainer at the Shrimpers, he received careful attention under his watchful eye and thanks to this he made the grade. Copping also tutored Stan Montgomery in the art of defending and both Dudley and Montgomery came under the surveillance of Cardiff City. He first played for Southend during the final season of the War fixtures, 1945-46, scoring five times in twenty-three games. He was stationed at Colchester during the War and on 9th February 1946 he turned out for the local team in his only other War-time game, but marked the occasion by scoring twice. When the Football League fixtures were re-established, Frank’s versatility proved a great asset and he scored thirty-two goals in eighty-eight League games and four in the F.A. Cup, before he joined Leeds United in August 1949, in an exchange deal for Albert Wakefield. He was top-scorer in his first full season, when he played in all five forward positions. He was one of the stars in United’s stellar 1949-50 season, in which they had a fine Cup run culminating in the Sixth Round with a 1-0 defeat at the hands of eventual winners, Arsenal. Known for his fierce shooting, his transfer to Southampton took place on a Leeds/London train and saw Ex-Wolves "Buckley Boy", Ernie Stevenson, join Leeds as part of the deal in February 1951. After scoring thirty-two goals in sixty-seven games for the Saints, in September 1953, he moved from Southampton to Cardiff City, but was quickly on the move again, this time to Brentford in December 1953 after scoring once in only four League games. In fact he achieved the record in 1953-54 of having scored his first three goals for three different teams in three different Divisions: Southampton Third Division South, Cardiff City in the First Division and Brentford in the Second Division. He scored thirty-two goals in seventy-two appearances for the ‘Bees’. When he retired he had scored one hundred and eighteen goals in three hundred and two games. He qualified as a coach in 1952 and after retiring from the professional game in July 1958, joined Folkestone for a couple of seasons before returning to Southend to run their youth team between 1961 and 1965. He worked for twenty-seven years for the Southend Cemetries and Cremation department before retiring in 1985. He was also a more than useful fast bowler in his younger years.