Frost: Desmond (Des)

1949-1951 (Player Details)

Centre Forward

Born: Congleton, Cheshire: 03-08-1926

Debut v Southampton (a): 17-09-1949

5’101/2” 12st (1950)

Frost played for Congleton amateur side, Civil Defence Messengers, and then served with the Northamptonshire Regiment and the RASC, representing England against Scotland in a services’ international in Singapore. After demob he joined Congleton Town before signing for Leeds in April 1949, reportedly for £5,000. United were well-served for strikers with Len Browning and Frank Dudley, leading the way and Eddie McMorran and Ray Iggleden fighting for the third spot. Ray Iggleden was sidelined, only playing one game before Christmas and Frost was given his debut at Southampton on 17th September 1949, when Eddie McMorran was also unavailable. However, when Len Browning was injured for three games George Wilkins played his only three games for the club rather than Frost. It was the absence of winger Harold Williams, and Frank Dudley switching to the Outside Left position, that allowed Frost to have a run of five consecutive games starting with a trip to Plymouth Argyle on 12th November 1949, which proved quite profitable as United won 2-1 and Frost got his first goal in United colours. nWilliams returned after two games but then Len Browning was absent for two games which gave Frost the chance to show his ability at Centre Forward and, on 26th November 1949, in his first game as the main striker, he scored the winner in a 2-1 victory at Bradford Park Avenue. However when United were back to their full compliment of players it meant Frost was again plying his trade in the Central League. It was the fixture congestion of Easter which saw Frost get his final three games for the season when he filled in for frank Dudley at Inside Left, Harold Williams at Outside Right and then Inside Left as McMorran filled in for Browning at Centre Forward.He played his final game for Leeds at Inside Right as stand-in for Ray Iggleden on 30th August 1950 in the 1-0 home win over Coventry City. However it was his hat-trick for the Reserves against Blackpool in January 1951 that prompted the watching Halifax Town officials to sign him. He played one hundred and seventeen times for Halifax and with fifty-five goals he had an excellent strike rate. Frost moved to Rochdale, in November 1953, and scored six goals in sixteen appearances before Crewe Alexandra signed him, in September 1954. At Crewe he scored twelve times in forty-five games, before retiring in June 1956. He died in 1993.