Frank Matson had been at his home-town club, on the fringes of the side that won the FA Cup in 1927 but was relegated from the First Division in 1929. Having played a dozen games for Cardiff in Division II, Frank played a trial-match for Newport in the Third South before reverting to the Second Division with Southampton.

Or so he must have hoped. But, having waited half a season for two consecutive games at outside-right, he continued to feature regularly in the Reserves and then had two games against Portsmouth and Bournemouth in the Hants Combination Cup at the season’s end.

Problems with his eyesight forced him to give up football and by 1939 he had become a clerk at a wholesale meat company in Southampton.