Francis Carr Hudspeth (20 April 1890 – 5 February 1963) was an English footballer, who most notably played as a defender for Newcastle United.

Frank Hudspeth
Personal information
Full name Francis Carr Hudspeth[1]
Date of birth (1890-04-20)20 April 1890
Place of birth Percy Main, England
Date of death 5 February 1963(1963-02-05) (aged 72)[1]
Place of death Burnley, England
Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s) Left back
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1910–1929 Newcastle United 472 (37)
International career
1925 England 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Hudspeth spent nineteen seasons at Newcastle, from 1910 to 1929. This makes him the joint longest servant for the club along with Billy McCracken. During his time at the club he became a popular figure amongst the fans and gained the nickname 'Old Surefoot' for his reliability. He captained the team from 1923 to 1926 but was demoted to vice-captain following Hughie Gallacher's arrival at the club. Hudspeth was also known for his ability to score penalties and 25 of his 37 goals at Newcastle came from the penalty spot.

He is second only to Jimmy Lawrence for making the highest number of appearances for Newcastle, taking part in 472 games. He also represented England at international level.[2]

Personal life

edit

Hudspeth served as an able seaman in the Royal Navy during the First World War.[3]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b "England players: Frank Hudspeth". englandfootballonline. 10 March 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
  2. ^ "Frank Hudspeth". Englandstats.com. Retrieved 4 October 2018.  
  3. ^ "'Wor' War heroes". Newcastle United Football Club. Retrieved 24 October 2019.