| Frank MacBeath |
 Francis Alexander MacBeath was born on Friday, 30th May, 1924, in Dingwall, Ross-shire. The forward signed for Donald Turner's Thistle on Wednesday, 25th December, 1946, having most recently been with Ross County. Aged 22, he made his debut appearance on Saturday, 18th January, 1947, in a 4-1 win away to St Mirren in the SFL First Division. Frank scored his first goal for Thistle on Tuesday, 20th May, 1947, in a 2-1 friendly win away to Norway XI. He scored the last of his 3 goals on Monday, 26th April, 1948, in a 2-2 neutral-venue draw against Celtic in a Benefit match. That turned out to be his last game for the club, having appeared as a Jag on 6 occasions. Frank's club-list included Ross County, Partick Thistle and Caledonian. Frank died on Thursday, 18th July, 1985, in Inverness, aged 61. |
 We don't know much of this highlander's career, but he joined us from Ross County at the tail end of 1946. A right winger in his time at Thistle, he made his debut in a fine 4-1 win in front of 15,000 at Love Street. With that, Thistle went third in the top-flight in January - heady heights! Unfortunately, that proved to be a one-off appearance for Frank as far as competitive action is concerned, although manager Turner included him in the post-season touring party of Norway. He played twice against their national select sides, scoring once too. At first-team level, he never got a look-in during his second season, appearing only in 3 friendly matches in the springtime of 1948. Just a couple of months later, he was back up the road, joining Caledonian in June. There, he captained the side so clearly he was a prominent player at that level. We learn from his gravestone that Frank's wife, Anna, died in 1981, aged only 50. He himself died fairly young too, at 61, just a few years later. We also learn that Frank was a much loved father. He's buried at Tomnahurich Cemetery, Inverness. |
| (WS/JK) |
click on image to enlarge (magnifiable if deemed necessary by your browser)
