 |
Your Archive Needs YOU! Page upload volunteers are urgently required; free time is precious for everyone but if you can spare some then please do get in touch → and play your part in helping to build an Archive for all of Jagskind to use and enjoy! Read more → |
| Freddy Frans |
 Frédéric Frans was born on Tuesday, 3rd January, 1989, in Wespelaar, Haacht. The 6' 4 (13st 1lbs) defender signed for Alan Archibald's Thistle on Monday, 13th October, 2014, having most recently been with Lierse. Aged 25, he made his debut appearance on Saturday, 25th October, 2014, in a 0-0 draw at home to St Johnstone in the SPFL Premiership. Freddy scored his first goal for Thistle on Saturday, 24th January, 2015, in a 2-2 draw away to Kilmarnock in the SPFL Premiership. He scored the last of his 4 goals on Tuesday, 10th May, 2016, in a 3-3 draw away to Dundee United in the SPFL Premiership. He played his last game for the club on Saturday, 14th May, 2016, in a 2-2 draw at home to Hamilton Academical in the SPFL Premiership, having appeared as a Jag on 48 occasions. Freddy's club-list included Lierse, Partick Thistle, Dundee United, Lierse Kempenzonen and Beerschot. |
 From 5-year-old, Freddy spent 20 years with Lierse, with whom he rose to represent Belgium at various youth levels from under 18 to under 20. He decided to go for a new experience in his mid-20s. The big central defender had trial periods with a couple of sides, including Leeds United, before landing at Firhill in October 2014 when he was signed to a short-term contract by manager Alan Archibald. He kept a clean-sheet on his debut and Archibald was impressed: "He is very composed for a big lad. He can look cumbersome, but he is good on the ball and, you saw against St Johnstone, he doesn't hit too many long balls." When January came, Freddy agreed an extension to his contract, keeping him at the club until 2016. In celebration, he proceeded to score his first goal for the Jags, his late strike earning a 2–2 draw away to Kilmarnock on 24 January 2015. He duly became the first Belgian to score for Thistle! As much as the Jags fans loved that one, his second goal for the club a few months later went even deeper into the memory banks. With Thistle trailing 1-0 at Ross County midway through the first half, Frans collected the ball from Bannigan and drove into the space that opened up, unleashing a low 30-yard beauty past Scott Fox into the net. Thistle went on to win the game 2-1, making the playback all the sweeter. Thistle never lost when Freddy scored and his third competitive goal in May 2016 was another cracker, bravely steaming in with a header from a Penrice corner; Dundee United 2 Partick Thistle 2. Freddy loved a clean-sheet and he earned 19 of them in his 44 competitive appearances for the club; his 43% ratio was exceptional for a Thistle player in the top-flight. There was a deal on the table for Freddy in season 2016-17, but it meant taking a cut and the player decided - after much soul searching - that he couldn't accept it. He had made many friends in Glasgow and loved his time at the club, so it was with a heavy heart that he headed back to Lierse in June 2016. He then returned to Scottish football in 2018, signing for Dundee United. He left the club in 2019 and returned to Belgium following the collapse of the original Lierse. In 2020, he signed for Beerschot in the Belgian First Division B, where he finished his playing career, announcing his retirement in the close season of 2023. |
| (WS) |
click on image to enlarge (magnifiable if deemed necessary by your browser)
