On this day, 23rd July 1883, Frederick Beaconsfield Pentland was born in the city of Wolverhampton (United Kingdom), and in 1926 he became the first coach of Real Oviedo.
As a child, Pentland demonstrated excellent footballing ability. He played for several English clubs and became one of the best British footballers of the time. He played five games for the English national team.
Shortly after the foundation of Real Oviedo in March 1926, Pentland was hired as its coach. He was a prestigious coach. Under his guidance, Athletic de Bilbao had won la Copa del Rey during the 1922/1923 season and the Campeonato Regional de Vizcaya during the 1922/1923 and 1923/1924 seasons.
Pentland also coached the French national team at the 1920 Olympic Games. He came to Real Oviedo from Atlético de Madrid, with whom he had been runner-up in the Copa del Rey final in May 1926.
His commitment to the club established that from 1st June 1926 he would oversee the team’s technical staff for one season. The Gijón newspaper, El Noroeste, reported the news as follows: “Mr. Pentland, the famous English coach, is in Oviedo, where he will take up residence to fulfill the contract established with Oviedo FC in order to prepare their football teams”.
Frederick Beaconsfield Pentland passed away at the age of 78, on 16 March 1962, in Middle Road on the outskirts of the small village of Lytchett Matravers, in the county of Dorset (United Kingdom).
The photograph shown above shows Pentland, wearing a white shirt and heading towards a ball, during a Real Oviedo training session at the Vetusta stadium.