Frank Swift

Early career and 1930s successes

Born in Blackpool, Lancashire, Swift's first club was Blackpool Gas Works, where he worked as a coke-keeper. A spell at nearby Fleetwood followed, during which Swift attracted interest from a number of Football League clubs. Potential suitors included Blackpool (where Frank's elder brother Fred was the goalkeeper), Blackburn Rovers, Bradford City and Manchester City. The first to offer Swift a contract were Manchester City, who played in the First Division, the highest level of English football, for a transfer fee of £10. 10s 0d. Initially signed as an amateur in October 1932, eighteen-year-old Swift turned professional the following month, receiving a wage of ten shillings (50p) per week. The following December he was called up to the first team, having previously made only three reserve team appearances. At this time, goalkeeper was an unsettled position for Manchester City. Len Langford had made over 100 appearances and had appeared in the 1933 FA Cup Final, which City lost 3–0 to Everton. He missed the final game of the 1932–33 season and the opening match of 1933–34, but went on to play 18 consecutive League games before injury on 16 December 1933 ended his time as City's first choice. Langford's replacement for the following game was James Nicholls, but he endured a torrid time as Manchester City lost 8–0 to Wolverhampton Wanderers. Consequently, Swift was given an opportunity for the Christmas double-header against Derby…

Swift's first international call-ups came in the Second World War; he made 14 wartime appearances for England. The first official England international after the war took place on 28 September 1946 against Ireland, and Swift retained his place to make his full debut in a 7–2 victory. Swift became a fixture in the England side of the late 1940s, playing 17 consecutive matches. This run included the famous 1948 victory against Italy in Turin, where he became the first goalkeeper since Alexander Morten in 1873 to captain the side, leading him to describe the match as the greatest day of his career. Later that year he lost his place to Ted Ditchburn, despite keeping a clean sheet in his previous appearance. He was restored to the line-up the following match, a British Home Championship decider against Scotland. After announcing his retirement from football, he made a farewell appearance against Norway in May 1949 to take his number of caps to 19, after which the goalkeeper's jersey was taken by Bert Williams. Swift also represented Great Britain in a 1947 match against a "Rest of Europe" team, played to celebrate the return of the Home Nations to FIFA.

Raich Carter once said of Frank Swift that he looked so big in goal that as a forward it often seemed that trying to score against him was like "trying to put the ball into a matchbox". Swift's hands, which had a finger span of 11+3⁄4 in (29.8 cm), were sufficiently large for him to easily pick up the ball with one hand, and gave rise to the nickname "Frying Pan Hands". Swift kicked with his left foot as the result of an injury to his right foot sustained during his youth. However, where possible he preferred throwing the ball to the wing over kicking it downfield. When asked for advice to give to young goalkeepers, Swift replied that he drew diagrams of each goal scored against him to see if he was at fault.

Manchester City

Football League First Division: 1936–37 FA Cup: 1933–34 FA Charity Shield: 1937 England

British Home Championship: 1947, 1948 Individual

Football League 100 Legends: 1998 English Football Hall of Fame: 2005 Manchester City Hall of Fame IFFHS England Men's all time Dream Team IFFHS Best Goalkeepers of the Century Xxth