Frank Costello (footballer)

Infobox Football biography
playername = Frank Costello


fullname = Frederick G. Costello
dateofbirth = 1884
cityofbirth = Birmingham
countryofbirth = England
dateofdeath = death date|1914|12|19|df=y
cityofdeath =
countryofdeath = France
height =
position = Forward
youthyears =
youthclubs = Soho Villa
years = 1904–????
????–1907
1907–1909
1909
1909–1910
1910–????
clubs = West Bromwich Albion
Halesowen Town
Southampton
West Ham United
Bolton Wanderers
Nelson
Merthyr Town
Salisbury City
caps(goals) = 00 0(0)

41 (10)
12 0(3)
00 0(0)

Frederick "Frank" G. Costello (1884 - 19 December 1914) was an English professional footballer who played as a forward for Southampton and West Ham United prior to the First World War.

Playing career

Costello was born in Birmingham and after playing his youth football with Soho Villa he joined West Bromwich Albion in September 1904. Failing to make the grade he moved to Halesowen Town before moving to the south coast to join Southern League Southampton in the 1907 close season.

He made his professional debut on 14 September 1907, scoring in a 2–0 victory at Luton Town. He initially played at inside right alongside Bert Hodgkinson on the outside and either Frank Jefferis, John Lewis or George Smith in the centre. Described as "a trifle slow, he was clever with the ball and had a habit of disconcerting the opposition by making for goal when he was expected to make a pass". [cite book | author=Duncan Holley & Gary Chalk | title=The Alphabet of the Saints| publisher= ACL & Polar Publishing | year=1992|pages=p.84| isbn=0-9514862-3-3] In the 1907–08 season he scored nine goals from 28 league appearances.

He also played in all six FA Cup matches as Saints reached the semi-finals, losing to Wolverhampton Wanderers who went on to take the cup in the final. In the round four (quarter final) replay against Everton at The Dell on 11 March 1908 he played his best game for the "Saints". In the first half he hooked a John Johnston cross past the Everton goalkeeper Billy Scott. [cite book | author=Gary Chalk & Duncan Holley | title=Saints - A complete record| publisher= Breedon Books| year=1987| pages=p.42|isbn= 0-907969-22-4] With the score 2–1 to Southampton at half-time, the second half "belonged to Frank Costello". He was involved in most of Southampton's attacks and when John Bainbridge swung over a deep cross from the right it appeared to have been over hit and going out of play. Suddenly, "out of nowhere", Costello arrived and met the ball with his head, sending it back over the goalkeeper into the far corner of the net. According to Duncan Holley in "Match of the Millennium", "a contortionist would have had problems attaining a position ... to reach the ball." [cite book | author=David Bull & Bob Brunskell | title=Match of the Millennium| publisher=Hagiology | year=2000|pages=pp. 36-37| isbn=0-9534474-1-3] The Saints won the match 3–2, but lost to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the semi-final.

Injury kept him out of the team for the early part of the 1908–09 season; he had a run of five matches at inside left in November before being switched to centre forward as replacement for Arthur Hughes who had suffered a bad leg injury. Although Costello scored in his first match in his new role (in a 4–2 victory over Plymouth Argyle on 12 December 1908), he was not a success and in March 1909 he was transferred to West Ham United.

He made twelve Southern League appearances for West Ham (scoring three goals) before moving on to Bolton Wanderers. He failed to make the first team at Bolton and after spells with Nelson and Merthyr Town he returned to Southampton, where he turned out occasionally for Salisbury City.

After football

During the First World War he was enlisted into the Royal Warwickshire Regiment and was killed in action in France on 19 December 1914.

References

External links

* [http://www.westhamstats.info/westham.php?west=2&ham=151&united=Frank_Costello West Ham United profile]