Mann Frank Image 1 Aston Villa 1911

Description

Newark, Nottinghamshire born inside right Frank Mann started his career with Newark Castle Rovers and Newark Town before spending 1909-10 with Leeds City and 1910-11 at Lincoln City, without making first eleven appearances for either. He then joined First Division Aston Villa for 1911-12, and it was Villa who gave him his Football League debut in a 3-0 home defeat to Blackburn Rovers in February 1912, his only appearance for the club.

Released, he joined Second Division club Huddersfield Town making his debut at Barnsley in September 1912, scoring his first goals in a 3-0 win at former club Leeds City a few days before Christmas. He played both sides of the First World War for Huddersfield, his 17 goals in 1919-20 helping them gain promotion to the top flight, a haul which included a Christmas Day hat-trick against Rotherham County, and he played in the 1920 FA Cup Final, in a narrow 1-0 extra time defeat to former club Aston Villa. He went one better two years later, as Huddersfield won the FA Cup beating Preston North End 1-0 at Stamford Bridge.

However Herbert Chapman, just embarking on the transformation that would see Huddersfield seal a hat-trick of League titles, sold Mann to Manchester United in March 1923 after 75  goals for The Terriers in 227 appearances. He played another seven seasons at Old Trafford, mainly playing at left half converting to that position in 1924, helping them win promotion back to the First Division in 1924-25 and by the time he joined non league Mossley in November 1929, already aged 38, he had scored 5 goals in 197 games for The Red Devils. He later played for Meltham Mills in 1930, his last recorded club before his retirement.