'The Spirit Was Really Good' - Sinclair Reminisces On City Career

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'The Spirit Was Really Good' - Sinclair Reminisces On City Career

Eighteen years ago today, on 23 September, 2008, Frank Sinclair, a Leicester City star between 1998 and 2004, played for Lincoln City against us in our first-ever home appearance in the EFL Trophy.

2026-09-23T17:00+01:00

by John Hutchinson

Published

23 Sep, 2026

'The Spirit Was Really Good' - Sinclair Reminisces On City Career

Eighteen years ago today, on 23 September, 2008, Frank Sinclair, a Leicester City star between 1998 and 2004, played for Lincoln City against us in our first-ever home appearance in the EFL Trophy.

John Hutchinson

2026-09-23T17:00+01:00

'The Spirit Was Really Good' - Sinclair Reminisces On City Career

Eighteen years ago today, on 23 September, 2008, Frank Sinclair, a Leicester City star between 1998 and 2004, played for Lincoln City against us in our first-ever home appearance in the EFL Trophy.

John Hutchinson

2026-09-23T17:00+01:00

'The Spirit Was Really Good' - Sinclair Reminisces On City Career

Eighteen years ago today, on 23 September, 2008, Frank Sinclair, a Leicester City star between 1998 and 2004, played for Lincoln City against us in our first-ever home appearance in the EFL Trophy.

John Hutchinson

2026-09-23T17:00+01:00

'The Spirit Was Really Good' - Sinclair Reminisces On City Career

Eighteen years ago today, on 23 September, 2008, Frank Sinclair, a Leicester City star between 1998 and 2004, played for Lincoln City against us in our first-ever home appearance in the EFL Trophy.

John Hutchinson

2026-09-23T17:00+01:00

When Frank sat down with Club Historian John Hutchinson, the former defender reminisced about his career in football, playing in the Premier League, European competition, the Championship, Leagues One and Two, the National League, National League North and the Isthmian League. He also won 28 caps for Jamaica.

Tuesday night's match against Fulham U21s was only the second time that our First Team have played a home game in the EFL Trophy competition, now named the Jersey Mike's Trophy. The first occasion was when Nigel Pearson’s Foxes drew 0-0 against Lincoln City, winning the tie 3-1 on penalties. Frank, on the other hand, played for Lincoln that night on Filbert Way.

Reflecting on his career, Frank began: “I was a South London lad, but I went to school in West London, in Pimlico. I was offered trials at Premier League clubs like Wimbledon, Chelsea and Arsenal. I enjoyed it so much at Chelsea that I didn’t even bother going to Arsenal. I went through all the age groups there from the Under-11s to the Under-16s. Then I earned a two-year scholarship before becoming a professional.

“I’m right-footed and saw myself as a centre-back, which I preferred, or a right-back. As a first-year professional, I had to play at left-back, which gave me different problems to solve and helped me improve using my left foot.

“After a short spell on loan at West Brom, I went back to Chelsea and then made my first team debut against Luton Town in the old First Division. Bobby Campbell was the manager.

“My second manager at Chelsea was Ian Porterfield and then (the ex-Leicester player) David Webb took over for a short spell. He was brilliant for me. He liked the way I played. I was quite physical for my age and was very determined.

“Glenn Hoddle, coming in as player-manager (in 1993), transformed the way we played. He wanted a more attractive type of football.”

At the end of Hoddle’s first season, Chelsea reached the 1994 FA Cup Final.

“I think we overachieved that year,” Frank explained. “Playing in the FA Cup Final against Manchester United was a great experience for me. We lost 4-0 but we had a lot of young players who’d come through the academy. I was only 21.

“We were playing against the likes of Ryan Giggs, Andrei Kanchelskis, Mark Hughes, Eric Cantona, Paul Ince and the famous defence of Peter Schmeichel, Steve Bruce, Gary Pallister, Denis Irwin and Paul Parker, but Chelsea were going in the right direction.

“The following season, we reached the UEFA Cup Semi-Final. It was a great experience for me as a young player.”

In May 1996, Ruud Gullit replaced Hoddle as Chelsea manager, a post he held until February 1998.

Frank continued: “The most successful period of my career was between 1997 and 1998 when we won the FA Cup, the League Cup and the European Cup Winners’ Cup.

“Winning the FA Cup was a sweet moment for me. When we lifted the League Cup in 1998, I scored in the final. It was a massive surprise that this ended up being my last game for Chelsea. I got a groin injury that kept me out for the rest of the season, hence me missing the European Cup Winners’ Cup Final when we beat Stuttgart, although I still got a medal.”

That summer, Frank played for Jamaica at the World Cup in France: “Representing Jamaica was a great experience. I got called into a couple of Terry Venables’ England squads in the mid-1990s, but when I got the opportunity to represent the country of my heritage in a World Cup, I couldn’t turn it down.

“It was an unbelievable experience. We were the first Caribbean team to qualify for the World Cup, which was a massive achievement. We were in a strong group. We beat Japan, after getting thumped by Argentina and losing narrowly to Croatia.

“To actually win a game was a great achievement for a country that had no experience of that sort of tournament.”

Later that summer, Frank signed for Leicester City for a reported £2.05M.

“I signed very late in the pre-season window. I was with Chelsea in Holland for a pre-season game when my agent phoned me on the Friday to tell me that Chelsea had accepted a bid from Leicester for me.

“I spoke to (Chelsea manager) Gianluca Vialli on the Monday and was told that, having signed the likes of Marcel Desailly, Brian Laudrup and Albert Ferrer, the chairman wanted to recoup some money.

“I met Martin O’Neill and John Robertson on the M1. I was very open minded as I knew a couple of other clubs were interested.

“When I sat down with Martin, he just looked at John and said: ‘Can you believe he’s here, John? Apart from Steve Bould and Tony Adams, this is the best defender in the Premier League’. This made me feel a million dollars.

“Over the next hour, he told me where he wanted to take the Club and how he saw me being part of it. He really sold the Club to me. I was really excited about joining. I was 26 and I felt I had so much to give.

“I signed on the Wednesday, trained on Thursday and Friday and made my debut in the opening game of the season at Old Trafford on the Saturday.

“Apart from Muzzy Izzet, who I’d grown up with at Chelsea, I didn’t know the Leicester players too well, but they had very good players and seasoned professionals. The spirit in the side was really good.”

Frank’s first two seasons with us were very successful, and he was a League Cup winner again in 2000. Then O’Neill left for Celtic in June 2000.

“When he left, we were kind of lost,” Frank reflected. “After his departure, the team just fell apart really, and the spirit went as well.

“We had a couple of really tough years, getting relegated (in 2002), when I was the Club’s Player of the Year, and getting promoted to the Premier League again (in 2003). I was one of the players who took responsibility on and off the pitch, trying to lead by example. I still gave 110 per cent and the fans recognised that.”

A year after promotion, we were relegated again back to the second tier. This was Frank’s sixth and final season at Leicester. A highlight for Frank that season was playing his last game for Jamaica in a match against Brazil in front of his home crowd in Leicester.

“That was unbelievable,” he remembered. “It was a full house on the day. What will always stay with me was the individual cheer I got when I came out with the Jamaica side for the warm-up. It was overwhelming. The Leicester supporters were showing their appreciation for me. It’s something I will always remember. And Roberto Carlos’ goal? Brilliant, wasn’t it? Brilliant!”

After leaving Leicester in July 2004, Frank spent two and a half years at Burnley in the Championship.

“I wanted to keep playing for as long as I could,” Frank concluded. “I think I made the right choices to drop down the league at the right times, so I wasn’t being carried by anybody. It was a great honour to be captain at Burnley.

“I left there at the right time to go to Huddersfield in League One and later to go to Lincoln and Wycombe in League Two when I was getting close to my 40s. I had two really good years as player-manager at Colwyn Bay in the Conference North. I stopped playing when I was nearly 42.”

Frank subsequently coached or managed at Brackley Town and Hednesford Town, Stoke City, Radcliffe, Port Vale, Doncaster and Burnley, where he is now a coach in the academy.

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