Frank Moss (17 April 1895 – 15 September 1965) was an English professional football wing half who made over 250 appearances in the Football League for Aston Villa. He was capped by England at international level and represented the Football League XI.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Frank Moss[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 17 April 1895 | ||
| Place of birth | Aston, England | ||
| Date of death | 15 September 1965(1965-09-15) (aged 70)[2] | ||
| Place of death | Worcester, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[3] | ||
| Position(s) | Wing half | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Burlington Street | |||
| 0000–1910 | Aston Manor | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1910–1914 | Walsall | ||
| 1914–1929 | Aston Villa | 255 | (9) |
| 1929 | Cardiff City | 9 | (0) |
| 1929–1930 | Bromsgrove Rovers | ||
| Worcester City | |||
| National team | |||
| 1921–1924 | England | 5 | (0) |
| Football League XI | 2 | (0) | |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1929–1930 | Bromsgrove Rovers (player-manager) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
After beginning his career in local Birmingham football,[4] Moss joined First Division club Aston Villa for a £250 fee in February 1914 and made two appearances during the 1914–15 season,[2] but he had to wait until after the First World War before he could resume his career.[2] During the war, Moss guested for Bellis and Morcom, Aston Park Rangers, Smethwick Carriage Works and Bradford City.[5] He captained the club and was a part of the Villa teams which won the 1919–20 FA Cup and finished runners-up in 1923–24.[2][6] After a dispute over a testimonial and a ban from the FA, Moss departed Villa Park in January 1929, after making 255 appearances and scoring 9 goals for the club.[6][2] He finished the 1928–29 season with First Division club Cardiff City and left to join Birmingham Combination club Bromsgrove Rovers as player-manager for the 1929–30 season.[6][7] Moss finished his career with Worcester City.[6]
Moss won five caps for England at international level and represented the Football League XI.[6]
Moss was married and had four children, two of whom became footballers – Amos and Frank Jr.[6] In November 1915, 15 months after Britain's entry into the First World War, Moss enlisted as a private in the Lincolnshire Regiment.[2] He saw action during the Third Battle of Ypres and wounds to his left knee saw him sent back to Britain to be a physical training instructor.[2] Moss ended the war with the rank of corporal.[8] According to a 1939 register, Moss was the licensed victualler of a hostelry in Worcester.[6]
Aston Villa
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Aston Villa | 1914–15[2] | First Division | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1919–20[2] | 16 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 0 | ||
| 1920–21[2] | 32 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 36 | 1 | ||
| 1921–22[2] | 35 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 41 | 3 | ||
| 1922–23[2] | 32 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 33 | 2 | ||
| 1923–24[2] | 34 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 38 | 0 | ||
| 1924–25[2] | 19 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 22 | 2 | ||
| 1925–26[2] | 31 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 35 | 0 | ||
| 1926–27[2] | 35 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 1 | ||
| 1927–28[2] | 17 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 20 | 0 | ||
| 1928–29[2] | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Total | 255 | 9 | 28 | 0 | 283 | 9 | ||
| Cardiff City | 1928–29[2] | First Division | 9 | 0 | — | 9 | 0 | |
| Career total | 264 | 9 | 28 | 0 | 292 | 9 | ||