Wednesday 10 February 2010

Cult Hero - Andy Frampton


Being a player for Millwall FC must bring with it a certain set of pressures. All football supporters out there demand their players show passion and commitment, but perhaps more so than anywhere else a player at the club from South East London must be able to stand up and be counted when they are called upon by a vociferous crowd. Thankfully Andrew ‘Frammo’ Frampton is one of these men.

A native of Wimbledon and a former public school boy, the 30 year old fullback left behind his leafy and affluent roots to build himself a career as a steeled and determined defender. Throughout his professional life he has maintained that close affinity with the parts of the capital that fall south of the river. Starting out at Crystal Palace, the then adventurous fullback went onto play 36 times for the Eagles before a move west to Brentford. During his time at Selhurst Park, Frampton showed that even as a youngster he was a man who was able to deal with pressure situations, performing admirably when called upon during Palace’s close escape from the drop in 2001.

It was with the Bees however that the ‘lower league’s Stuart Pearce’ really made his name. After a difficult start when he was in and out of the team, Frammo showed that he was a man prepared to battle hard for his place and during his final two seasons with the club he was a virtual ever present, almost helping the team to achieve a place in the promised land of the Championship through successive playoff campaigns.

Frampton left the club with a heavy heart in 2007, citing the need to take his career to the next level, and he moved eastwards, this time to the New Den. Playing in front of such passionate, yet demanding fans, Andrew once again struggled initially, however it’s now fair to say that thanks to his wholehearted and determined attitude off the pitch and strong tackling on it, he has been firmly accepted by the Millwall faithful to the point where he was voted the clubs player of the year last season. Once again he suffered playoff agony, missing out at Wembley to Scunthorpe United, but if ever there was a player who has shown himself capable of bouncing back from such disappointment to come out stronger on the other side, it’s Andrew Frampton.

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