Fraser Digby

Fraser Digby

Digby in 2013
Personal information
Full name Fraser Charles Digby
Date of birth (1967-04-23) 23 April 1967
Place of birth Sheffield, England
Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Playing position Goalkeeper
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1985–1986 Manchester United 0 (0)
1985 → Oldham Athletic (loan) 0 (0)
1986 → Swindon Town (loan) 0 (0)
1986–1998 Swindon Town 420 (0)
1992 → Manchester United (loan) 0 (0)
1998–2000 Crystal Palace 56 (0)
2001 Barry Town
2001 Huddersfield Town 0 (0)
2001–2003 Queens Park Rangers 20 (0)
2003 Purfleet 1 (0)
2003 Kidderminster Harriers 11 (0)
National team
1987–1989 England U21 5 (0)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.


Fraser Charles Digby (born 23 January 1967) is an English football coach and former player who played as a goalkeeper. He spent much of his career with Swindon Town, for whom he played in the Premier League. In 2008, he found new fame through repeated references to "Fraser Digby's washbag" on Danny Baker's 6–0–6 programme on BBC Radio 5 Live.

Playing career

Digby was a Manchester United apprentice, making his League debut whilst on loan at Oldham Athletic in 1985, joining Swindon Town on a free transfer in December 1986 after two loan spells.

Digby, who represented England schools, youth and under-21s,[1] did not leave Swindon until 1998. He played in the 1993 play-off final against Leicester City, a match Swindon won, thereby securing a place in the Premier League, and represented the club during their season at the top level of English football.

In late 1992, he returned to Manchester United on loan as cover for Peter Schmeichel and was selected as a substitute on several occasions but never came onto the pitch.

In August 1998, Digby signed for Crystal Palace, before moving on to Queens Park Rangers in 2001. He was released by QPR due to money shortages after which he played a handful of games for non-league Purfleet. He joined Kidderminster Harriers in 2003 on a game-by-game basis (non-contractual), while at the same time rejoining former club Swindon and taking on the two roles of commercial manager and goalkeeping coach under Andy King.

Digby also played one game for Cirencester Town in the FA Cup in 2004, signed on an emergency deal as Cirencester had a 'keeper shortage, it was then known Fraser was good friends with Brian Hughes, the Cirencester manager. The game was against Bognor Regis Town and finished 4–3 to Bognor, with Cirencester coming back from 3–0 down to 3–3 to make a thrilling finish.

Digby played for a Manchester United legends team touring Ireland; his last appearance was in a friendly match against Moyola Park in July 2008.

When Digby retired from professional football, he spoke out against the methods for earning coaching badges for goalkeepers:

The problem is that to obtain full goalkeeping coaching qualifications, you have to go through all the stuff for outfield players and I don't really want to do that.[2]

Danny Baker on BBC Radio 5 Live

Digby has recently been the subject of many adaptations of popular songs, with lyrics written after a story from an anonymous correspondent to Danny Baker's radio show. It emerged that during a tour of Swindon Town's football ground, someone had come across Digby's washbag in the changing room and taken a tortoiseshell comb as a memento, thus coining the phrase 'Fraser Digby's Washbag'. Baker saw that there was "music" in these words and latched onto it. The piece, entitled "Fraser Digby's Washbag", became a regular feature of Baker's Tuesday night slot on BBC Radio 5 Live's 6–0–6 programme for 29 weeks to the final episode on 26 May 2009, during which listeners sent in their own lyrics based on the story, which Baker would sing over karaoke versions of popular songs.[3] In December 2008, Digby surprised Baker live on air, by appearing at the BBC studios to join the show and sang a "Fraser Digby's Washbag" song himself.[4]

Honours

Swindon Town

References

  1. ↑ http://archive.thisisworcestershire.co.uk/2003/2/27/223638.html
  2. ↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/2625169.stm
  3. ↑ , BBC Radio 5 live – 606 with Danny Baker: Fraser Digby's Washbag
  4. ↑ , BBC Radio 5 live – 606 with Danny Baker: Videos
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