[Albion] Frank Worthington

[Barrel of Fun]

According to SEAGULLS! The Story of Brighton & Hove Albion F.C., he played 27 times (+ 4 sub appearances) and scored 7 goals. His final appearance replacing O'Regan in a 1-0 victory over Sheffield United at the Goldstone, in front of a crowd numbering 13,184.

 

[blue2]

Will always be a hero of mine meet him on Brighton prom he was being interview for that weeks game We spoke briefly he gave me a couple of tickets he was such a skilful player up there with Ward Zamora or Vicente shame it was just the one season but great memories remember he took the the ball high with his feet dropped his shoulder put two players on their back side an strode off with ball he was so much better than anyone one the pitch at the time

 

[Baron Pepperpot]

I we'd signed him up again.

 

[thedonkeycentrehalf]

Although not scored for us, this is always worth a watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0z_arXZ8nM It's the goal Blue2 talks about.

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

Great to hear people's memories. I am currently uploading footage of Brighton v Manchester City from 1984/85 onto YouTube, which features Worthington in action for us. Hopefully, those will stir some more...

 

[T soprano]

Good Frank Worthington story
Went to Ascot on ladies day early 90s and on the day of going up in a limousine(mates stag day)was reading THE SUN newspaper there was a Frank Worthinghton exlusive pleading poverty from years of a pro footballer to the dole queue , a few hours later I bumped into Frank Worthinghton dripping in gold chains and medallions sharing bottles of champagne with quite a few very attractive young ladies, poverty MY ARSE

 

[Fef]

I can remember a visiting player squaring up to Frank at the Goldstone.

A wag in the crowd shouted "Breathe on him Frank"

He was fabulous to watch.

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

Better than Vicente, had more skill and vision even though spent most of the time pissed, that takes some doing.

 

[Seagull on the wing]

Such silky skills...if you can download audio books download his book 'My Sporting Life' from his school days onward...he was a skirt chaser then and finished up a skirt chaser...but what a player...a great fan of Elvis and Rock'n'Roll.

 

[Withdeano]

Remember one of the best games that season was a 2-1 home win over the fast emerging Crazy Gang. One nil down at half time, it was a mid winter game and the Goldstone was right up for the second half in the dark. Am sure Frankie scored the winner with a lob over Beasant that hit the crossbar and bounced down, hit him and rolled into the goal. One of my fave Goldstone memories.

 

[Mo Gosfield]

Remember one of the best games that season was a 2-1 home win over the fast emerging Crazy Gang. One nil down at half time, it was a mid winter game and the Goldstone was right up for the second half in the dark. Am sure Frankie scored the winner with a lob over Beasant that hit the crossbar and bounced down, hit him and rolled into the goal. One of my fave Goldstone memories.

Got a similar Frank moment and also think it was Wimbledon at home. Ball swung in from left wing and Frank cleverly pulled away to far side of the box. He controlled it high on his chest, cushioned it on his thigh and then volleyed it. From memory it hit the angle of bar and post and bounced away with Beasant rooted to the spot. You could be right, though. It might have hit the keeper and gone in. I just can't remember the outcome. Just the moment of sublime skill, that took your breath away.

 

[Mo Gosfield]

Frank oozed class from every pore and yet a group of fans behind me at the Goldstone always slagged him off...' lazy, slow, useless etc ' He was clearly past his best but he still had more skill than the whole of the rest put together.
You can always spot class, whatever age but these fans had no time for him. They reckoned he was a waste of space. Funny how some of us are still remembering little moments of magic, whilst all the mundane and ordinary around him has long been forgotten.
These are the memories you take into later life with you. People will still remember Vicente's run and shot v Derby in 20-30 years time. Frank only passed through BHA very briefly but give me 5 minutes of Worthington magic v a whole season of any number of journeymen pro's huffing and puffing, any time.

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

Frank oozed class from every pore and yet a group of fans behind me at the Goldstone always slagged him off...' lazy, slow, useless etc ' He was clearly past his best but he still had more skill than the whole of the rest put together.
You can always spot class, whatever age but these fans had no time for him. They reckoned he was a waste of space. Funny how some of us are still remembering little moments of magic, whilst all the mundane and ordinary around him has long been forgotten.
These are the memories you take into later life with you. People will still remember Vicente's run and shot v Derby in 20-30 years time. Frank only passed through BHA very briefly but give me 5 minutes of Worthington magic v a whole season of any number of journeymen pro's huffing and puffing, any time.

Spot on. Unfortunately there are still those amongst us at the Amex who fit this description. There's a reason football has been called the beautiful game and Frank Worthington epitomizes it.

 

[Brownstuff]

Nice posts about my favourite all-time player
Had a slouch typical of skilful players with his shirt always on the outside covering his shorts
As mentioned earlier worth the entrance fee alone to see 5 minutes of Worthington magic
It was this player who enhanced my love of football and you could feel the buzz around the ground when Worthington's name was announced in the starting line-up as you knew something was always going to spark off
It always beats me when people nip off early before half-time for a piss or a drink/snack
This shouldn't happen when a Worthington or a Vicente is on the pitch as it was too risky missing a single second of their magic
Frank Worthington's class is forever etched with me

 

[Seagull over Canaryland]

My recollections of Frank are of him turning out for pre-match warm ups looking as if he'd just rolled in from a night club and barely jogging around the pitch but somehow in the game he would inevitably make an opposition defender look a complete mug with some deft ball control and a little shimmy. You could see his football brain was on a different level.

Vicente had that similar 'x-factor'.

 

[Ernest]

I was working with some Notts Forest supporters in 79. Apparently Shilton left Leicester (pre the Forest triumphs, when Leicester were a more succesful club) to go to Forest, because Frank was servicing Shilts wife.

And it is not like Shilton never had form in that department was it ?

TINA TINA TINA

 

[fat old seagull]

Holy Mary....... I saw the thread title ' Frank Worthington ' and thought we'd signed him again. What a relief !

 

[thedonkeycentrehalf]

His autobiography is worth a read. It has the great title of One Hump Or Two!

 

[Codner pharmaceuticals]

Boy could he take a penalty. Remember Andy Goram needing treatment after saving one and then going mental when it was ordered to be retaken.

 

[Simster]

Better than Vicente, had more skill and vision even though spent most of the time pissed, that takes some doing.

I loved FW growing up but NO, no he didn't! Vicente was a top 4 side player in Spain and Champions League player whereas FW was a perma-pissed version of Matt Le Tissier.

That goal v Ipswich above was sublime. It's the disguise and then the speed of the overhead flick that wrong foots the entire Ipswich defence that makes it so watchable. Ridiculously hard skill to master!