Frederick Benjamin Slater (25 September 1925 – September 2002) was an English professional footballer who played in the Football League for Birmingham City and York City, primarily as a centre forward. He also played in non-league football for Burton Albion, Corby Town, Nuneaton Borough and Hinckley Athletic. Life and career Slater was born in 1925 in Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire. He played football while in the Army as well as for home-town club Burton Albion, and had a reputation as a "rough and tumble striker", by the time Birmingham City signed him on professional forms on 13 November 1947. He was prolific in reserve-team football, scored in first-team friendlies in Scotland and Switzerland, and made his senior debut on 13 November 1948a year to the day after signingstanding in for Cyril Trigg. Ten minutes into the match, at home to Huddersfield Town in the First Division, he injured a leg in a tackle. He played on, in increasing discomfort, went to hospital after the match, and X-rays revealed a broken bone, just above the ankle. He said afterwards, "I thought it was a bit painful, but had not realised it was as bad as that." He missed only four months of the season, but by the time he was fit again, Jimmy Dailey had taken over at centre forward. It was the first instance of what the Sports Argus dubbed "an unhappy knack of bumping into trouble". Over the next 18 months, he injured himself tripping on the stairs, twisted his ankle when he trod on a brick, and what he thought was "just a cold" had turned into pneumonia that left him hospitalised for weeks. He played just five first-team games for Birmingham, and was transfer-listed at the end of the 1950–51 season. In June 1951, Slater signed for York City of the Third Division North. After York's opening-day opponents, Lincoln City, took the lead after 14 minutes, Slater equalised a minute later, but Lincoln regained and kept the lead. He failed to score in the next five matches and lost his place. Brought back into the side to face Darlington at the end of September, Slater scored both goals in a 2–1 win, but those goals were his last for the first team. He made 14 appearances in league and FA Cup, and was placed on the transfer list. There were no takers from the Football League, and