Former England international Frank Broome enjoyed two spells as manager of Exeter City between 1958-1960 and 1967-1969. Arriving from a role at Notts County, he was the first Grecians’ manager to work in the new Division Four (coming close to promotion in the league's initial season) and spent time in Australia between his two spells at St James’ Park. He later lived in retirement in Ottery St Mary.

As a player, Frank Broome made his name with Aston Villa before the Second World War and won the first of his seven England caps in 1938 in the 6-3 victory over Germany in Berlin which was played in somewhat infamous circumstances. Moving on to Derby County in 1946, he also played for Notts County, Brentford, Crewe and Shelbourne in Dublin before returning to Meadow Lane in the role of assistant manager.

Now forty-two, and only relatively-recently retired from playing, City’s chairman A.S.Lines - who had already sacked two managers in under a year - persuaded Mr Broome to take the manager's job in January 1958. Unable to save the Grecians from the indignity of finishing at the foot of the table in his first half-season, the club entered the new world of having to travel all over England and Wales as it joined the new Division Four alongside the likes of Barrow, Carlisle United, Darlington, Gateshead, Hartlepools and Workington. 

With some of the longest away trips doubling-up in quick succession, Frank Broome set about the task in hand and mounted a promotion bid that saw Exeter finishing in 5th place two points short of the required top-four finish. As hopes remained high in 1959/60, City couldn’t quite match the efforts of the previous season and ended in 9th place with eight points fewer (two points for a win in those days) than last time around. Lured by better money at Southend United, Mr Broome left St James’ Park in May 1960 in a move he was to regret when leaving Roots Hall after just a few months. Chastened by the experience, he spent the next six years in Australia looking after a number of clubs.

Subsequently, in May 1967, Exeter City once again had a new incumbent in the chair and - after dismissing Walter ‘Jock’ Basford  - Les Kerslake immediately contacted Frank Broome in Australia with the invitation to return to Exeter. City. Unfortunately for all concerned the idea wasn’t a great success and, after a hardly encouraging 20th place in 1967/68, the following season only brought about a modest improvement amidst the excitement of the League Cup games against Sheffield Wednesday and Tottenham Hotspur and the home FA Cup tie against Manchester United.  

The end came in February 1969 when the Grecians were once again near the foot of Division Four. Now fifty-three, Mr Broome did not manage again and was replaced by John Newman who remained at the helm for seven years. Remaining in the area, Mr Broome lived in Ottery St Mary and died in Exeter in September 1994 aged seventy-nine.

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Frank Broome, long-time resident of Ottery St Mary, was later remembered by Roger Giles writing in the Ottery Heritage Newsletter: 

“On Saturday 14 May 1938 a football match took place in the Olympic Stadium, Berlin, in front of 105,000 spectators. England beat Germany 6 - 3. What gave the match considerable notoriety, was that the England players gave the Nazi Salute, on the advice of Britain's ambassador to Germany, Sir Neville Henderson. Senior Nazis such as Hermann Goering, Rudolf Hess and Joseph Goebbels were present.

There was an Ottery connection because, making his debut and playing centre forward for England, was 22 year old Frank Broome of Aston Villa whom scored in the match (alongside Cliff Bastin, formerly of Exeter City, then playing for Arsenal). In his later days Frank Broome, and his wife Elsie, lived in Oak Close and are both buried in Ottery's cemetery.

Frank Broome was a very fine player - he played for England seven times, scoring three goals. He played 136 times for Aston Villa, scoring 78 goals - a tremendous striking rate. He also scored six goals in one match. Overall, he played 395 league games, scoring 175 goals and his statistics would have been even more impressive but for the war interruption to his football career.

On 1 January 1958 Frank became Exeter City`s manager. I believe that he met Elsie, who was working at Exeter University, at this time. After two successful years, Frank went to manage Southend followed by clubs in  Australia. He returned to manage Exeter City between 1 May 1967 and1 February 1969. His last season in charge was quite memorable. In September Sheffield Wednesday, then of the First Division, were beaten 3-1 at St James Park in the Football League Cup. In the next round away to Tottenham, Exeter lost 6-3, after leading twice. And then in January, the great Manchester United team of George Best, Dennis Law and Bobby Charlton, visited St James’ Park in the 3rd round of the F A Cup.

In his last years Frank was not well, and I actually collected him in an ambulance to take him to a day care centre. I have always thought it sad that his gravestone makes no mention of his glorious football career”.