McKenna: Francis (Frank)

1956-1958 (Player Details)

Centre Forward

Born: Blaydon, Nr Newcastle-upon-Tyne: 08-01-1933

Debut: v Newcastle United (a): 03-11-1956

5’9” 11st 10lb (1956)

A joiner by trade, he played for North Shields after joining them from Bishop Auckland, one of the most powerful clubs in the Northern League. He came to Leeds with a reputation as a hard-shooting marksman who could play in several forward positions as well as his favoured position of Outside Right. It was playing in that position with the Bishops that he won three England Amateur International caps, an FA Amateur Cup medal in 1956 and played for Great Britain in an Olympic Preliminary Round game against Bulgaria. His three England Amateur caps came in 1956 in a 1-2 defeat by Wales on 11th February at the Vetch Field, Swansea, followed by a 4-2 victory over Scotland on 24th March at Wembley and a 3-1 win over France on 21st April at Champion Hill, home of Dulwich Hamlet. He also played in an unofficial Amateur International in Oslo on 19th May 1953 when England drew 1-1 with Norway. He was one of seven amateur internationals in the Bishop Auckland team that won its way through to the 1956 Amateur Cup Final at Wembley where they met Corinthian Casuals on 7th April and the match finished 1-1, after extra-time, with McKenna getting the equalizer. But the team carried off the trophy after a 4-1 win in the replay at Middlesbrough on 12th April, but this time McKenna failed to find the net. Not only was McKenna a prolific scorer for Bishop Auckland, for whom he was the regular Outside-Right, but he had other Wembley appearances against Bulgaria and Scotland. In the game against the Scots, which England won 4-2, he scored two of the home country’s goals. He aso scored two of the goals as the Bishops knocked out Second Division team Ipswich Town from the FA Cup in a Third Round Replay in January 1955 by 3-0, having already scored in the first encounter at Portman Road which had ended 2-2. He turned professional with Leeds in July 1956. McKenna, an outstanding amateur, enjoyed a two-goal debut for Leeds against Newcastle United, the team nearest to his home. He preferred the right wing position but his first four appearances were at centre forward for the injured Harold Brook, and in addition to his brace on debut he scored again at Old Trafford as Leeds went down 3-2 in his third game. With George Meek at his scintillating best and a permanent fixture in the Outside-Right spot he could not break into the team after Brook recovered from injury. Charles and Brook were a formidable striking duo and netted forty nine goals between them in that season. With Bob Forrest and George O’Brien also pressing for a first team berth, he finally got two games on the right wing when Meek missed his only two games of the season because of injury and McKenna scored in the first of those games in a 3-0 homewin over Cardiff City. So, although he began in fine goalscoring form he struggled to hold down a regular place and he joined Carlisle United in February 1958, where he scored eleven times in forty-six League appearances. He later played for Hartlepool United in July 1959, where he got five goals in thirty-two League appearances, North Shields in 1960 and Gateshead in 1962.