John Froggatt

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John Froggatt
Personal information
Full name John Lawrence Froggatt[1]
Date of birth (1945-12-13) 13 December 1945 (age 78)
Place of birth Stanton Hill, England[2]
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[3]
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
East Kirkby Colliery
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1963–1965 Notts County 4 (0)
1965–1968 Ilkeston Town
1968–1969 Buxton
1969–1974 Boston United 190 (83)
1974–1978 Colchester United 155 (29)
1978 Port Vale 14 (3)
1978–1979 Northampton Town 42 (13)
1979–1980 Boston United 29 (4)
Total 434 (132)
Managerial career
1981–1984 Boston United
1986–1988 Ilkeston Town
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

John Lawrence Froggatt (born 13 December 1945) is an English former footballer and manager. A forward, he scored 45 goals in 215 league games in seven seasons in the Football League.

He began his career at Notts County in 1963, and later played for Ilkeston Town and Buxton, before coming to prominence with Boston United between 1969 and 1974. After finishing as Northern Premier League runners-up in 1971–72, they won the league title in 1972–73 and 1973–74. In August 1974, he was signed by Colchester United for a £6,000 fee. Crowned the club's Player of the Year in 1975, he helped the club to win promotion out of the Fourth Division in 1976–77. He was signed by Port Vale for £10,000 in February 1978, before being sold on to Northampton Town for £8,000 seven months later. He returned to Boston United the following year, and managed the club in three Alliance Premier League campaigns between 1981 and 1984. He later spent two years in charge at Ilkeston Town.

Playing career[edit]

Early career[edit]

Froggatt played for non-League East Kirkby Colliery, before joining Notts County in 1963.[2] He had previously had trials with Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest.[2] He made his first-team debut against Bristol Rovers and played four league games during the relegation season of 1963–64 and subsequent Fourth Division campaign in 1964–65.[2] He dropped out of the Football League to work as a painter and decorator and play part-time for Ilkeston Town and Buxton in the Midland League, before joining Northern Premier League side Boston United in 1969 for a £500 fee.[4] They finished third, two points short of the title, in 1969–70; fourth in 1970–71; second in 1971–72, two points behind champions Stafford Rangers; first in 1972–73 by a nine points margin; and first again in 1973–74 under manager Keith Jobling.

Colchester United[edit]

Froggatt transferred to Third Division club Colchester United in August 1974 for a £6,000 fee, joining former Boston strike partner Bobby Svarc and former Boston manager Jim Smith at Layer Road.[5] He scored his first Football League goal on 24 August, in a 3–2 defeat by Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park.[5] He and Svarc continued their strike partnership, and Froggatt scored a hat-trick past Grimsby Town on 15 November, whilst Svarc also scored a brace. He also found the net against Aston Villa in a 2–1 defeat in the League Cup quarter-finals. He started every league game in 1974–75, scoring 18 goals in 54 games in all competitions; Svarc scored 25 to take their partnership to 43 goals for the season.[5] Froggatt was voted as the club's Player of the Year.[2]

Svarc and Smith left the club in summer 1975, leaving Froggatt behind at Colchester. The club were relegated under rookie manager Bobby Roberts, and Froggatt scored just five goals from 44 games in 1975–76; this left new signings Bobby Gough and Colin Garwood to pick up the slack.[2] However, Roberts led the "U's" to immediate promotion in 1976–77; Frogratt scored eight goals in 52 appearances, though again Garwood and Gough got the bulk of the goals. He spent time out of the first-team, though still added four goals in 34 games in 1977–78 to take his tally for Colchester to 35 goals in 184 games in league and cup competitions.[5][2]

Later career[edit]

Froggatt was signed by Port Vale manager Bobby Smith for £10,000 in February 1978.[6] Fifteen seconds into his Vale debut; a 4–0 win over Exeter City on 8 February 1978 at Vale Park, and he had scored his first goal for the club.[7] Despite this, he tweaked his hamstring the following month and only scored two more goals in eleven further league games in 1977–78 as the "Valiants" were relegated into the basement division.[2] He then lost his first-team place to Ken Beamish and Bernie Wright, and after three appearances under new manager Dennis Butler in 1978–79, Froggatt was sold on to Northampton Town for £8,000 in September 1978.[8] He scored three times for the struggling "Cobblers", including on his debut.[2] He then returned to Boston United, where he was made assistant manager.

Style of play[edit]

Froggatt was a target-man forward who boasted good pace and ball-control skills.[8]

Managerial career[edit]

Frogatt was appointed manager at Alliance Premier League club Boston United in 1981. Under his stewardship, the "Pilgrims" finished tenth in 1981–82, fifth in 1982–83, and seventeenth in 1983–84. He went on to manage Central Midlands League side Ilkeston Town between September 1986 and January 1988.[9]

Personal and later life[edit]

His wife gave birth to twins in 1985.[2] He worked as company director.[2]

Statistics[edit]

Club Season Division League FA Cup Other Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Notts County 1963–64[10] Third Division 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
1964–65[10] Fourth Division 2 0 0 0 1 1 3 1
Total 4 0 0 0 1 1 5 1
Boston United 1969–70[11] Northern Premier League 25 8 0 0 10 7 35 15
1970–71[12] Northern Premier League 29 15 6 3 15 5 50 23
1971–72[13] Northern Premier League 45 25 4 1 10 5 59 31
1972–73[14] Northern Premier League 45 17 2 1 6 2 53 20
1973–74[15] Northern Premier League 46 18 6 1 10 6 62 25
Total 190 83 18 6 51 25 259 114
Colchester United 1974–75[10] Third Division 46 16 2 1 6 1 54 18
1975–76[10] Third Division 41 5 1 0 2 0 44 5
1976–77[10] Fourth Division 43 6 6 2 3 0 52 8
1977–78[10] Third Division 25 2 4 0 5 2 34 4
Total 155 29 13 3 16 3 184 35
Port Vale 1977–78[10] Third Division 12 3 0 0 0 0 12 3
1978–79[10] Fourth Division 2 0 0 0 1 0 3 0
Total 14 3 0 0 1 0 15 3
Northampton Town 1978–79[10] Fourth Division 42 13 1 0 0 0 43 13
Boston United 1979–80[16] Alliance Premier League 29 4 4 1 10 0 43 5
Career total 434 132 36 10 79 29 549 171

Honours[edit]

Individual

  • Colchester United F.C. Player of the Year: 1975[2]

Boston United

Colchester United

References[edit]

  1. ^ "John Froggatt". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "The John Froggatt Interview". The Vale Park Beano. 109.
  3. ^ Rollin, Jack (1980). Rothmans football yearbook. London: Queen Anne Press. p. 258. ISBN 0362020175. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  4. ^ "Profile". bufc.drfox.org.uk. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  5. ^ a b c d "John Froggatt – Players – Colchester United". coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
  6. ^ Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 107. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
  7. ^ Sherwin, Phil (2010). The Port Vale Miscellany. Brimscombe Port: The History Press. p. 22. ISBN 978-0-7524-5777-2.
  8. ^ a b Baggaley, Michael (8 February 2018). "Forty years today since John Froggatt's Port Vale debut goal in just 15 seconds". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
  9. ^ "Ilkeston Town FC managers". ilsonfootball.co.uk. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i John Froggatt at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
  11. ^ "Statistics Season 1969/70". bufc.drfox.org.uk. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  12. ^ "Statistics Season 1970/71". bufc.drfox.org.uk. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  13. ^ "Statistics Season 1971/72". bufc.drfox.org.uk. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  14. ^ "Statistics Season 1972/73". bufc.drfox.org.uk. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  15. ^ "Statistics Season 1973/74". bufc.drfox.org.uk. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  16. ^ "Statistics Season 1979/80". bufc.drfox.org.uk. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
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