Frank Dudley (footballer)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Frank Ernest Dudley | ||
| Date of birth | 9 May 1925 | ||
| Place of birth | Southend-on-Sea, England | ||
| Date of death | 14 September 2012 (aged 87) | ||
| Place of death | Southend-on-Sea, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||
| Playing position | Centre forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1945–1949 | Southend United | 88 | (32) |
| 1949–1951 | Leeds United | 64 | (23) |
| 1951–1953 | Southampton | 67 | (32) |
| 1953 | Cardiff City | 5 | (1) |
| 1953–1956 | Brentford | 72 | (32) |
| 1956–???? | Folkestone Town | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Frank Ernest Dudley (9 May 1925 – 14 September 2012) was an English professional footballer who played as a centre-forward for Southend United, Leeds United, Southampton, Cardiff City and Brentford. A versatile player who could play in any forward position, he scored 120 goals in 295 matches in the Football League during an eleven year career. He was described by Jimmy Hill as "pacy, strong and gangly with a penchant for the unexpected".
Born in Southend-on-Sea, Dudley worked for Holtby and Petty, a local Drapers, after leaving school.
As a teenager, Dudley did not pursue a career in football due to his size, standing only 5ft 4in at the age of 15, and rarely played the game growing up. However, during his wartime service with the Royal Air Force, he entered a significant growth spurt and grew a further seven inches and attended an amateur trial with Southend United in September 1945, eventually turning professional with the side the following month. He made his debut for the club in the final fixtures of the 1945–46 wartime season, scoring five times, and also appeared as a guest player for Colchester United after being stationed in the town during his war service, scoring twice in his only appearance during a 5–0 win over Barry on 9 February 1946.
When the Football League returned following the end of World War II, Dudley made his professional debut in a match against Watford and became a first-team regular at Southend Stadium. He quickly attracted attention from several sides, including Cardiff City who had considered signing Dudley when they completed the signing of his teammate Stan Montgomery in 1948. He eventually joined Leeds United in August 1959 in a player swap deal that saw Albert Wakefield move in the opposite direction. The transfer saw Dudley's weekly wage rise from seven pound per week to twelve pound and, after making his debut for the club against West Ham United on 22 August 1949, he finished his first season with the Yorkshire club as their top goalscorer, scoring 16 times in all competitions, including four goals during their run to the FA Cup quarter-finals. The following season, Dudley continued his goalscoring form, scoring eleven times during the first half of the season before Leeds manager Frank Buckley offered Dudley to Southampton in exchange for Ernie Stevenson, Dudley signing his contract with the Saints during a train journey from Leeds to London.
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