Frank Swift

Frank Victor Swift (born December 26, 1913 in Blackpool , United Kingdom , † February 6, 1958 in Munich ) was the goalkeeper of Manchester City for many years around the Second World War and of the England national team in the 1940s . In 1947 he became the first goalkeeper in 75 years to captain the English team. After accompanying the Manchester United team as a journalist, Swift died in the crash of British European Airways Flight 609 . Known as one of the best English goalkeepers of all time, Swift has been voted one of the top 100 players in the league's first 100 years by the English Football League Association.

Swift was a very great goalkeeper for his day with exceptionally large hands that allowed him to catch balls with one hand without difficulty. He was also the first goalkeeper in the English league to initiate attacks not only by long kicks, but also by rolling and throwing at teammates.

career

Swift played as an amateur at Fleetwood Town before turning pro for Manchester City in October 1932. Swift made his first league appearance as a professional on Christmas Day 1933 against Derby County , this season he was still alternating with Len Langford - who also played in the FA Cup final of the year - in goal. In the following four seasons Swift was absent in any game, only in the 1938/1939 season he sat out for a single game.

So Swift played in the second, this time successful FA Cup final in succession in the goal of Manchester City in 1934, but he was so excited that he suffered a faint attack after the final whistle. In 1937 he won the championship with Manchester. But his career was interrupted by the outbreak of World War II and the associated suspension of the championship at its height. Swift was drafted as an auxiliary traffic cop, but also played about 150 times for Manchester, as well as 14 times for the English rump national team, before regular play was resumed in 1946.

After the war, Swift returned to Manchester City; In 1946 he was appointed to the regular national team for the first time (September 28 against Ireland ), a total of 19 games in the goal of the selection until 1949. In 1949 he also ended his club career.

After his playing days, Swift worked as a sports reporter for News of the World ; so he also accompanied Manchester United in the round of 16 of the 1957/58 season of the European Cup for the away game at Red Star Belgrade . When the chartered plane came off the runway during a stopover on the return flight in Munich, Swift survived the accident by only a few minutes. He died of his injuries on the way to the hospital.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ " Tribute to Frank Swift "; The FA names Christmas Eve of the same year as his birthday ( [1] ), but this contradicts his debut at the age of 20 on December 25, 1933.
2. ↑ " XI at 11: England's Best Goalkeepers ( Memento of the original from October 26, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. “, Setanta.com of October 12, 2007. 
3. ↑ " Sport: Football Legends list in full ", BBC-Online of August 5, 1998.
4. ↑ Keith Roberts, “ Sporting hero: Frank Swift, ” Manchester Evening News, February 2, 2003.
5. ↑ Entry on Swift ( Memento of the original from April 16, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. in the "Virtual Encyclopaedia of Greater Manchester" Manchester UK . ( As of February 10, 2008, visited February 20, 2008, English ).  
6. ↑ Information on the 1933 Cup Final ( Memento of the original from May 21, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on fa-cupfinals.co.uk .  

Works

• Football from the Goalmouth, Sporting Hendbooks: 1948