Frank Mitchell (footballer)

Infobox Football biography
playername = Frank Mitchell


fullname = Frank Rollason Mitchell
dateofbirth = 3 June, 1922
cityofbirth = Goulburn, New South Wales
countryofbirth = Australia
dateofdeath = death date and age|1984|4|2|1922|6|3
cityofdeath = Lapworth
countryofdeath = England
height =
position = Wing-half
youthyears = 1941–1943
youthclubs = Coventry City
years = 1943–1949
1949–1952
1952–1958
clubs = Birmingham City
Chelsea
Watford
caps(goals) = 093 0(6)
075 0(1)
193 0(0)

Frank Rollason Mitchell (3 June, 1922 – 4 April, 1984) was an Australian-born professional footballer who played as a wing-half. He played over 350 games in the Football League, including 86 in the First Division. He also played county cricket for Warwickshire.

Mitchell was born in Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia, and moved to England when a teenager. His main sport was cricket, and he joined the Warwickshire ground staff at 15. He began his football career as an amateur with Coventry City, and made guest appearances during the Second World War with several clubs, including Birmingham, who were sufficiently impressed to sign him on professional forms in 1943. He had a calm temperament and became the club's regular penalty-taker. In 1946 he played for an England XI against a Scotland XI in an unofficial friendly international to raise money for the victims of the Bolton disaster. [cite web
url=http://www.rsssf.com/tablese/eng-warvic-intres.html |title=England - War-Time/Victory Internationals - Details |author=Courtney, Barrie |publisher=RSSSF |date=2004-03-21 |accessdate=2007-10-16] After 106 games for Birmingham he moved to Chelsea in January 1949. He made 85 appearances for Chelsea before in 1952 moving to Watford where he finished his career, playing nearly 200 league games for the club before he retired in 1958.

Mitchell played 17 first-class matches for Warwickshire between 1946 and 1948, taking 22 wickets at an average of 38.9 with his right-arm medium-pace or off-break bowling, making 229 runs at an average of 8.29 and taking seven catches. He played for and became groundsman and secretary of Knowle and Dorridge Cricket Club. [cite web
url=http://www.knowleanddorridgecc.co.uk/theclub/theclub_warks.htm |title=Warwickshire Connection |publisher=Knowle and Dorridge Cricket Club |accessdate=2007-10-16]

He died at Lapworth, Warwickshire, aged 61.

Honours

*with Birmingham City
**Football League South (wartime league) champions 1946.
**Football League Second Division champions 1948.

References

*cite book
author=Matthews, Tony |title=Birmingham City: A Complete Record |year=1995 |publisher=Breedon Books |location=Derby |pages=p. 111 |isbn=1-85983-010-2
* [http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/ Post War English & Scottish Football League A - Z Player's Database]
* [http://content-www.cricinfo.com/england/content/player/17615.html Frank Mitchell at cricinfo]

Notes

Persondata
NAME = Mitchell, Frank Rollason
ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Mitchell, Frank
SHORT DESCRIPTION = Professional footballer, cricketer
DATE OF BIRTH = 1922-06-03
PLACE OF BIRTH = Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia
DATE OF DEATH = 1984-04-04
PLACE OF DEATH = Lapworth, Warwickshire, England