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Crossed Hammers & Three Lions: Frank Lampard Senior

Welcome to the latest in a series of articles designed for international matches – a look back at former Hammers players who wore the Three Lions of England.

Today, as England prepare to face Spain in Sevilla, we look back at a true legend of West Ham United Football Club – Frank Lampard Senior. Frank was born in East Ham on 20th September 1948 – his father, also Frank, passed away in 1953 at the age of 33 when young Frank was only five years old. He joined West Ham’s Academy in 1964 and, aged 19, made his first team debut on 18th November 1967 in a 3-2 home defeat to Manchester City in front of 25,495. He made 22 appearances in the 1967/68 season, quickly establishing himself in his preferred left-back position but disaster struck when he broke his leg in a 2-1 win at Sheffield United on 27th April 1968. He would not play again for over a year, making his comeback in a 1-1 draw at Maine Road against Manchester City on 30th April 1969 – it was his only appearance in the 1968/69 campaign.

Frank scored his first goal for the club in a 4-2 home win over Halifax in a League Cup second round tie on 3rd September 1969 and made 33 appearances in 1969/70, playing alongside the likes of Bobby Moore, Martin Peters and Sir Geoff Hurst as West Ham finished 17th in the First Division. Frank made 44 appearances in 1970/71, scoring his first league goal for the Hammers in a 2-1 defeat at Chelsea on 19th December 1970. He made 53 appearances in 1971/72, scoring one goal in a thrilling 3-3 home draw with Derby on 22nd January 1972.

A goalless 1972/73 followed, with Frank making 42 appearances as the Hammers finished in sixth place in the First Division – having represented England Under-23s on four occasions, the 24-year-old Frank also made his England debut under Sir Alf Ramsey in a 1-1 draw against Yugoslavia at Wembley on 11th October 1972. Hard as nails and fierce in the tackle, Frank was also comfortable on the ball and possessed a ferocious shot.

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Two goals in 47 appearances in 1973/74 would follow, with strikes coming in a 4-2 win at Chelsea on Boxing Day 1973 and a wonderful, curling drive into the top corner in a 2-2 home draw with Liverpool on 27th April 1974. Ron Greenwood later stated that Frank had intimated that he would like to leave West Ham during this season – in doing so, he lost out on the captaincy when Bobby Moore left the club in March 1974, with Billy Bonds instead named as Moore’s replacement.

Frank would win the FA Cup with the Hammers in 1975, scoring in a 2-1 third round win at Southampton on 4th January 1975 to set the Irons on their way to the Final against Fulham at Wembley. 1974/75 would also be Frank’s best goalscoring season in claret and blue, with his other four goals coming in a 2-0 home win over Luton, a 2-1 defeat at Tottenham, a 1-0 win at Carlisle and a 5-2 home win over Wolves. He would score four goals the following campaign – the winner in a 1-0 home victory over Manchester City, one in a 3-3 draw at Leicester, another in a 5-1 win at Birmingham and a typical thumping strike from distance in a 3-1 European Cup Winners’ Cup quarter-final second leg win over Dutch side Den Haag at the Boleyn Ground. Lampard’s short backpass to goalkeeper Mervyn Day sadly contributed to the Hammers’ 4-2 defeat in the Final to Anderlecht. When his studs caught in the turf, leading to the short backpass, Frank also sustained a stomach injury which saw him flown home immediately after the game for an emergency operation. Frank had made 54 appearances in both 1974/75 and 1975/76.

Despite talk of a move to Norwich, Frank’s only goal in his 39 games in 1976/77 was a crucial one, coming in a 4-2 home win over Manchester United on 16th May 1977 which secured the Hammers’ top-flight survival. The reprieve would not last long with the club relegated the following season, Frank failing to get on the scoresheet in his 44 matches. He would score three goals in 31 appearances in his first campaign in the second tier, in a 3-1 home win over Preston, a 4-3 defeat at Wrexham and a 5-0 home win over Newcastle.

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Arguably Frank’s finest moment in a West Ham shirt arrived in the 1980 FA Cup semi-final replay against Everton. With the match locked at 1-1, Trevor Brooking’s right-wing cross was nodded down by David Cross for Lampard, popping up out of nowhere to send a diving header into the corner and send the Hammers to Wembley for a Final meeting with Arsenal, which of course the Irons would go on to win. Frank’s celebratory dance of delight round the Elland Road corner flag has lived long in the memories of many West Ham United supporters. It was his only goal from his 49 appearances in 1979/80 – and what a time to score it! On top of his second FA Cup Final triumph, the 31-year-old Frank won further reward from his former West Ham manager Ron Greenwood with his second and final England cap on 31st May 1980, in a 2-1 win in Sydney against Australia.

Frank made 55 appearances as the Hammers secured promotion back to the top flight in 1981, scoring one goal in a 5-0 win over Preston on 31st January 1981. He made 35 appearances to help the Hammers consolidate their First Division status in the 1981/82 campaign. 42 appearances followed in 1982/83, along with two goals, the first coming in a 1-1 draw with Ipswich at Upton Park. Frank was sent off in a 3-1 defeat at Brighton on 23rd October 1982. His second goal of the season also transpired to be his last for the club; it came in a 1-1 home draw with Southampton on 26th February 1983 – on a personal note, this was the first Hammers goal of my life (I had been born three weeks earlier).

Frank would play 24 matches in 1983/84 and only one in 1984/85 – his final game for West Ham came in a 3-0 home defeat to Liverpool on 20th May 1985, 13 months after his previous match. Frank Lampard Senior had scored 22 goals for the club and made 670 appearances – he remains second only to the great Billy Bonds in the Hammers’ all-time appearance chart. My video below is a compilation of ten of Frank’s 22 goals for West Ham United.

The 36-year-old Frank was granted a free transfer and moved to Third Division Southend for the 1985/86 season. Bobby Moore was the Shrimpers’ manager at the time, with fellow former Hammers Kevin Lock and Harry Cripps on the playing and coaching staff respectively. Frank retired as a player at the same time Moore resigned as manager.

Despite pursuing a number of business ventures outside the game, Frank continued to work for West Ham in a part-time scouting and coaching capacity before being appointed assistant to his brother-in-law, Harry Redknapp, in August 1994. He saw his son, Frank Junior, score 38 goals in 187 appearances for the club, before Frank Senior departed alongside Redknapp in May 2001. Frank Junior won the same number of caps (two) while with the Hammers as Frank Senior had – Frank Junior went on to win 106 caps before his international career came to a close in 2014.

Frank Senior was married to Patricia before her death on 24th April 2008 following complications from pneumonia. Frank and Pat had three children, Natalie, Claire and the aforementioned Frank Junior. Pat’s twin sister is Sandra Redknapp, wife of Harry. Frank Senior is also uncle to former England, Liverpool, Tottenham and Southampton midfielder Jamie Redknapp.

Frank was appointed as a Football Consultant to Watford manager Brendan Rodgers in November 2008 and followed Rodgers to Reading in June 2009 to take up a similar role at the Madejski Stadium. Frank left Reading when Rodgers departed by mutual consent in December 2009. Frank Lampard Senior turned 70 just over three weeks ago.

Spain v England

England face Spain this evening in a Nations League match – it will be the 27th meeting between the two nations. The pair met in Group B of the 1980 European Championships, with England winning 2-1 in Napoli on 18th June 1980. Don McLean was number one with ‘Crying’, The Empire Strikes Back was in UK cinemas and, the day before, Secretary of State for Defence Francis Pym had revealed to the House of Commons that US nuclear cruise missiles would be located at RAF Greenham Common in Berkshire and the disused RAF Molesworth base in Cambridgeshire.

Ron Greenwood’s England took the lead after 18 minutes courtesy of 31-year-old West Ham United legend Trevor Brooking, who thumped home from close range. It was the third of his five England goals, in the 39th of his 47 caps.

Spain equalised three minutes into the second half through a penalty scored by Athletic Bilbao’s Dani. Ray Clemence later saved a penalty before 24-year-old Cologne striker Tony Woodcock secured a 2-1 win for England in the 68th minute. The Three Lions had previously drawn with Belgium and been beaten by hosts Italy, meaning this win over Spain was not enough to reach the knockout stage. West Germany went on to win the tournament.

England: Ray Clemence (Liverpool), Viv Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Phil Thompson (Liverpool), Dave Watson (Southampton), Mick Mills (Ipswich), Glenn Hoddle (Tottenham), Ray Wilkins (Man Utd), Terry McDermott (Liverpool), Trevor Brooking (West Ham), Kevin Keegan (captain, Hamburg), Tony Woodcock (Cologne).

Subs: Paul Mariner (Ipswich) for Hoddle; Trevor Cherry (Leeds) for Anderson.

Spain: Luis Arconada (Real Sociedad), Jose Ramon Alexanko (Athletic Bilbao), Francisco Javier Uria (Sporting Gijon), Rafael Gordillo (Real Betis), Antonio Olmo (Barcelona), Cundi (Sporting Gijon), Julio Cardenosa (Real Betis), Jesus Zamora (Real Sociedad), Juanito (Real Madrid), Enrique Saura (Valencia), Santillana (captain, Real Madrid).

Subs: Francisco Jose Carrasco (Barcelona) for Cardenosa; Dani (Athletic Bilbao) for Saura.

The previous articles in the series are:

Jack Tresadern
Ken Brown
Johnny ‘Budgie’ Byrne
Bobby Moore
Martin Peters
Sir Trevor Brooking
Alan Devonshire
Alvin Martin
Paul Goddard
Stuart Pearce
Frank Lampard Junior
Joe Cole
David James
Robert Green

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