Frank Swift - Manchester City and England Legend

There is also an ebook version available of this title, it is for sale from Amazon or your usual provider. 

Frank Swift was Manchester City's first goalkeeping legend, winning many honours for the club . This book details those heady times as well as his time at Fleetwood Town in the early 1930's and Hamilton Academical during the war.

Frank Swift is one of the greatest English goalkeeper’s of all time. A First and Second Division, FA Cup and Charity Shield winner with Manchester City, his only League club, he represented his country on 33 occasions between 1941 and 1949.

Although often injured, and on many occasions knocked unconscious, Blackpool born Swift was fearless and unmoveable in the City goal, playing all but one of over 200 games from the day of his debut, 25 December 1933, up to the start of World War Two.

Swift was a regular between the posts for England, and in 1948 he became the first keeper to captain his country in the professional era. Fans also adored Swift for his sportsmanship, broad smile and constant banter with spectators behind his goal.

Ultimately it is a tragic story though as Swift perished at Munich as a reporter for the News of the World. Now in the first biography to be written on him, find out more about the keeper and his exploits.

Frank Swift is in the National Football Museum Hall of Fame. To see why they think he deserves to be in there, see https://www.nationalfootballmuseum.com/halloffame/frank-swift/

In September 2018, a blue plaque was unveiled in Blackpool honouring his life.

https://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/sport/football/blue-plaques-unveiled-two-blackpools-favourite-sons-jimmy-armfield-and-frank-swift-999145 

For a great article on Frank, see The Sportsman

https://www.thesportsman.com/articles/frank-swift-the-manchester-city-legend-who-was-lost-at-munich

About the Author

Mark Metcalf was born in County Durham in 1959 and now lives in West Yorkshire with his wife Ruth and son Charlie.

A former industrial, and later community and youth, worker Mark now works as a freelance journalist, particularly for The Big Issue in the North magazine and the various publications of the trade union, Unite.

Mark is becoming a prolific writer of football books.