Great to be back guys. My knee replacement surgery was only partly sucessful and after returning to work I was either too tired or too stoned off the meds to compete at this level. The lengthening days and arrival of my first grandchild have put a new spring in my step.
Thanks for all the kind words , the votes from tyke, jono and paul as well as the mentions from chris, dorrien and mattrom.
The clue itself sprang from the frank=forward synonym and I originally thought it might stand alone as "front row forward" but couldn't find enough evidence for "f"="first" .
See you all next time and thanks again
Marty