John Fraser (footballer, born 1953)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John Fraser[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 12 July 1953 | ||
| Place of birth | White City, England | ||
| Position(s) | Full back, utility player | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1967–1971 | Fulham | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1971–1976 | Fulham | 56 | (1) |
| 1976–1980 | Brentford | 123 | (6) |
| 1980–1981 | Oxford City | 42 | (1) |
| Total | 221 | (8) | |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
John Fraser (born 12 July 1953) is an English former footballer who played as a full back in the Football League for Brentford and Fulham.
Career[edit]
Fulham[edit]
After being spotted playing for his school team, Fraser entered the youth system at First Division club Fulham at the age of 14 in 1967.[2] He began his career as a midfielder, but switched to full back under reserve team manager George Cohen and signed his first professional contract in 1971.[2][3] He made his senior debut during the 1971–72 Second Division season and gradually built on his appearance record year-by-year to play 25 games during the 1974–75 season.[4] An injury to Les Strong allowed him a place in the starting lineup for the 1975 FA Cup Final, which was lost 2–0 to West Ham United.[2] Fraser fell out of favour with manager Alec Stock during the 1975–76 pre-season and departed the club at the end of the season.[2] He made 65 appearances and scored one goal as a first team player at Craven Cottage.[4]
Brentford[edit]
Fraser dropped to the Fourth Division to sign for Fulham's neighbours Brentford in July 1976 on a free transfer.[3] He was a near ever-present during the 1976–77 season and was used in a utility role by manager Bill Dodgin Jr, playing both full back positions and on the wing.[5] He was a regular until a groin injury ruined a successful 1977–78 season,[3] in which he helped the Bees to automatic promotion to the Third Division by filling in at the midfield and at inside forward.[5] He rejected a new contract and departed Griffin Park early in the 1980–81 season, despite having missed just four matches of the previous season.[3] Fraser made 131 appearances and scored seven goals during three seasons with Brentford.[5]
Oxford City[edit]
Fraser closed out his career in non-League football with Isthmian League First Division club Oxford City.[5] He made 42 appearances and scoring one goal during the 1980–81 season before retiring from football.[5][6]
Personal life[edit]
Fraser completed The Knowledge while a Brentford player and became a black cab driver after retiring from football.[2]
Career statistics[edit]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Fulham | 1971–72[4] | Second Division | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| 1972–73[4] | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 1973–74[4] | 17 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | ||
| 1974–75[4] | 20 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 1 | ||
| 1975–76[4] | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | ||
| Total | 55 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 65 | 2 | ||
| Brentford | 1976–77[7] | Fourth Division | 39 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 3 |
| 1977–78[7] | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 22 | 0 | ||
| 1978–79[7] | Third Division | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 24 | 0 | |
| 1979–80[7] | 42 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 45 | 4 | ||
| Total | 123 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 132 | 7 | ||
| Career total | 178 | 7 | 12 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 197 | 9 | ||
Honours[edit]
Brentford
- Football League Fourth Division fourth-place promotion: 1977–78[7]
References[edit]
- ^ "John Fraser". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
- ^ a b c d e "Memory Lane". Fulham Football Club. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
- ^ a b c d Croxford, Mark; Lane, David; Waterman, Greville (2011). The Big Brentford Book of the Seventies. Sunbury, Middlesex: Legends Publishing. p. 278. ISBN 978-1906796709.
- ^ a b c d e f g "John Fraser". Fulhamweb. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
- ^ a b c d e Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Harefield: Yore Publications. p. 60. ISBN 978-0955294914.
- ^ "Players (Alphabetic)". docs.google.com. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
- ^ a b c d e White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. pp. 394–395. ISBN 0951526200.
External links[edit]
- John Fraser at Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Transfer Database