Frank Lester (footballer)
Encyclopedia
Frank Lester is a former English
professional footballer born in Wednesbury
, Staffordshire
, who played as a fullback
. He made 68 appearances in the Football League
for Small Heath
.
Small Heath were relegated
from the First Division
in 1895–96
, Lester's first season with the club, but the next season he formed a sound fullback partnership with Billy Pratt
. However, the arrival of Arthur Archer
as first-choice right back meant Lester was competing with Pratt for the left-back position, which restricted his appearances. He contributed to Small Heath's runners-up finish in the 1900–01 season
, thereby winning promotion
back to the top flight, but left the club for Walsall
later the same year.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
professional footballer born in Wednesbury
Wednesbury
Wednesbury is a market town in England's Black Country, part of the Sandwell metropolitan borough in West Midlands, near the source of the River Tame. Similarly to the word Wednesday, it is pronounced .-Pre-Medieval and Medieval times:...
, Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, who played as a fullback
Defender (association football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
. He made 68 appearances in the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
for Small Heath
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
.
Small Heath were relegated
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
from the First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
in 1895–96
1895-96 in English football
The 1895–96 season was the 25th season of competitive football in England.-Events:Loughborough replaced Walsall Town Swifts in the Second Division.-Honours:Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour...
, Lester's first season with the club, but the next season he formed a sound fullback partnership with Billy Pratt
Billy Pratt
William "Billy" Pratt was an English professional footballer who played for Small Heath as a left-back. Born in Birmingham, he was a powerful defender whose career was ended prematurely through injury. He made 139 appearances in all competitions for Small Heath without scoring a goal.-References:...
. However, the arrival of Arthur Archer
Arthur Archer
Arthur Archer was an English professional association footballer who played as a full-back. Born in Derby, Archer made 170 appearances in all competitions for Small Heath in a five-year career, including over 150 games in the Football League, as well as playing for a variety of other clubs...
as first-choice right back meant Lester was competing with Pratt for the left-back position, which restricted his appearances. He contributed to Small Heath's runners-up finish in the 1900–01 season
1900-01 in English football
The 1900–01 season was the 30th season of competitive football in England.-Events:Stockport County played their first season in the football league. Blackpool also returned to the league, at the expenses of Loughborough and Luton Town.-Honours:...
, thereby winning promotion
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
back to the top flight, but left the club for Walsall
Walsall F.C.
Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...
later the same year.