Frank Hodgetts: West Brom's youngest ever first team player dies aged 93
Albion's youngest ever player has died aged 93, the club has announced.
Frank Hodgetts made his first team debut in October 1940 at just 16 years and 26 days.
The Dudley-born outside left joined the Baggies aged 15 just as the Second World War was breaking out in September 1939.
Just over a year later he made his debut against Notts County.
He went on to help Albion win the Midland Cup in 1944.
When organised football resumed after the war, Frank made his FA Cup debut in Albion’s third round second leg game against Cardiff at The Hawthorns in a 4-0 win in January 1946.
When the Football League resumed later that year, Frank was in the team – and on the scoresheet – in the club's first post-war game, a 3-2 win away at Swansea Town’s Vetch Field on August 31 1946.
Frank clocked up 70 post-war league and cup games for the Baggies before moving on to Millwall for £6,000 in May 1949.
In total he made 178 Albion appearances – scoring 34 times.
He subsequently returned home thereafter and spent four years from 1958 to 1962 as a coach at The Hawthorns, largely working with the club's youngsters.
One of his charges during that time was a young lad called Tony Brown. Frank, who lived in Hagley in later life, was a special guest at the unveiling ceremony for Bomber’s statue back in 2014.
An Albion statement said: "The club is saddened to hear of the passing of Frank Hodgetts, who remains in our record books as the youngest player to represent Albion, earlier this week.
"At the time of his death, Frank was our oldest surviving player, something nicely symmetrical about that given that he started life as our youngest ever first teamer.
"Frank, a much-admired figure and absolute gentleman, will be sorely missed by family and friends. Rest easy Frank."
