Frank Rawcliffe
{{short description|English footballer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2016}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Frank Rawcliffe
| image =
| caption =
| fullname =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1921|12|10|df=y}}
| birth_place = Cardiff, England
| death_date = 4 September {{death year and age|1958|1921}}
| death_place = Liverpool, England
| height =
| position = Centre forward
| years1 = –
| clubs1 = Tranmere Rovers
| caps1 = ?
| goals1 = ?
| years2 = –
| clubs2 = Wolverhampton Wanderers
| caps2 = ?
| goals2 = ?
| years3 = –
| clubs3 = Colchester United
| caps3 = ?
| goals3 = ?
| years4 = –
| clubs4 = Notts County
| caps4 = ?
| goals4 = ?
| years5 = 1946–1947
| clubs5 = Newport County
| caps5 = 37
| goals5 = 14
| years6 = 1947–1948
| clubs6 = Swansea Town
| caps6 = 25
| goals6 = 17
| years7 = 1948–1949
| clubs7 = Aldershot
| caps7 = 35
| goals7 = 14
| years8 = 1949–1950
| clubs8 = Alessandria II
| caps8 = 27
| goals8 = 18
| years9 = –
| clubs9 = South Liverpool
| caps9 = ?
| goals9 = ?
| years10 = –
| clubs10 = Alessandria
| caps10 = 4
| goals10 = 4
| totalcaps = ?
| totalgoals = ?
}}
Frank Rawcliffe (10 December 1921 – December 1986) was an English professional footballer who played as a centre forward.
Career
After representing Cheshire Schoolboys he signed for Tranmere Rovers, before then moving to Wolverhampton Wanderers, Colchester United, Notts County, Newport County, Swansea Town, Aldershot, Alessandria and South Liverpool.{{cite web |url=http://www.swanseacity.net/page/PastPlayers/0,,10354~1284908,00.html |title=Past players |accessdate=14 November 2010 |publisher=Swansea City A.F.C. official website |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100710081737/http://www.swanseacity.net/page/PastPlayers/0%2C%2C10354~1284908%2C00.html |archivedate=10 July 2010 |df=dmy }} Having made his debut for Tranmere's reserves aged 14, Rawcliffe was regarded as a precocious young talent. First Division Wolves paid a fee of £3,000 to take him to Molineux in January 1939, where he played alongside Stan Cullis and Billy Wright. Rawcliffe appeared to have a bright future ahead of him until the onset of war derailed his career.{{Cite web|url=https://calcioengland.com/2020/07/17/more-like-a-fighter-than-a-footballer-the-powerhouse-english-forward-who-took-serie-b-by-storm/|title="More Like a Fighter Than a Footballer": The Powerhouse English Forward Who Took Serie B by Storm|date=17 July 2020}} A number of brushes with the law followed before he carved out a career in the lower reaches of the Football League in the post-war years. Rawcliffe enjoyed a degree of success in Italy with Serie B Alessandria, who were being coached by Englishman Bert Flatley.{{cite web |url=https://www.museogrigio.it/storico/calciatori_dett.php?id=1035 |title=Museo Grigio - Archivio Storico dei Grigi |website=www.museogrigio.it |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200407153401/https://www.museogrigio.it/storico/calciatori_dett.php%3Fid%3D1035 |archive-date=2020-04-07}} Despite Rawcliffe's goal scoring form, his club were relegated at the end of the 1949/50 season and the forward returned to Merseyside to play for South Liverpool. In December 1950, he returned to Alessandria to help with their Serie C promotion push, but managed just four matches before injury struck and he returned to England for good.{{Cite web|url=https://calcioengland.com/2020/07/17/more-like-a-fighter-than-a-footballer-the-powerhouse-english-forward-who-took-serie-b-by-storm/|title="More Like a Fighter Than a Footballer": The Powerhouse English Forward Who Took Serie B by Storm|date=17 July 2020}}
Name
Rawcliffe was born in Cardiff as Frank "Dooley", initially taking on his mother's maiden name before reverting to what is believed to be his father's surname, "Rawcliffe". His mother married George Woodward and the family moved to Wallasey when Frank was a boy. During his time in Italy, Rawcliffe was known as Ratcliffe.{{cite web |url=https://www.rsssf.org/players/eng-players-in-it.html |title=English Players in Italy |accessdate=14 November 2010 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070921040533/http://www.rsssf.com/players/eng-players-in-it.html |archivedate=21 September 2007 |website=RSSSF |df=dmy }}
References
{{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rawcliffe, Frank}}
Category:English men's footballers
Category:Tranmere Rovers F.C. players
Category:Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. players
Category:Colchester United F.C. players
Category:Notts County F.C. players
Category:Newport County A.F.C. players
Category:Swansea City A.F.C. players
Category:Aldershot F.C. players
Category:South Liverpool F.C. players
Category:English Football League players
Category:US Alessandria Calcio 1912 players
Category:Men's association football forwards