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Kevin Francis - Good Feet for a Big Man

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The following article was written at the beginning of June for the When Saturday Comes writer's competition. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A figure of fun for opposition fans and the odd television pundit, Kevin Francis was much more than just the tallest player in the league. In five seasons he helped to turn around the fortunes of Stockport County and became an icon in the process. In March 1991 County were well on their way to promotion from Division Four after 20 years in the bottom division, this would be the first major achievement, after the previous season’s play off appearance, under Uruguay-born Danny Bergara. However, striker Paul Williams had been sold to West Bromwich Albion that month, his replacement was Kevin Francis, a £45,000 signing from Derby County who had barely troubled the statisticians in his 17 appearances at the Baseball Ground. Not the move of a side chasing promotion, but