 Third Lanark team during 1923 tour – Frame standing, far left | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William Frame | ||
| Date of birth | c. 1896 [1] | ||
| Place of birth | Larkhall, Scotland | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) [2] | ||
| Position(s) | Left back | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| – | Larkhall Thistle | ||
| 1918–1924 | Clyde | 194 | (0) |
| 1924–1930 | Motherwell | 173 | (0) |
| 1930–1931 | Dunfermline Athletic | 35 | (0) |
| Total | 402 | (0) | |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
William Frame was a Scottish footballer who played as a left back, although he could also play at left half. [3] He spent six years with Clyde and six with Motherwell [4] (being heavily involved during a period in the late 1920s where the "Steelmen" consistently finished near the top of the Scottish Football League table, being runners-up in the 1926–27 and 1929–30 seasons). Serving as captain at some points, he was also reported as being on the verge of leaving the club when left out of the team, [5] [6] and eventually fell out of favour at Fir Park and moved to second-tier Dunfermline Athletic. [7] He did not score any goals in over 430 appearances in Scotland's leagues or the Scottish Cup. [3]
During his time at Clyde, Frame played in the Glasgow FA's annual challenge match against Sheffield in four consecutive years, [3] and he was a guest member of a squad organised by Third Lanark that toured South America in the summer of 1923, [8] [9] also visiting that region with Motherwell in 1928. [10] [11]
After retiring, he unsuccessfully applied to be manager of Ayr United [12] and Raith Rovers [13] and later joined the AEI works at Motherwell, where his sons already worked; [14] 1960s player John Moore credited Frame with providing good advice on becoming a professional having seen him play in casual workplace games. [15] Frame was also a groundskeeper at a local park. [16]
Frame's career has been merged in some sources [4] [3] [17] with that of a younger player of the same name, a goalkeeper who was a reserve with Motherwell at the same time as the defender left the club, [18] then played in England's Football League for one year with Gateshead in 1931–32, [19] [20] followed by two seasons at Bray Unknowns in the Republic of Ireland and four seasons with Linfield in Northern Ireland, [21] returning to Motherwell for a short spell in 1938. [22] [23]