WIRRAL businessman Frank Corfe who helped  Peter Johnson revive Tranmere Rovers' fortunes during  the late 1980s and early 90s passed away  yesterday following an illness.

Corfe also had a four-year spell as chairman  at Prenton Park between 1994 and 1998, after  which he left the club.
 
Wirral  businessman Corfe  was close to the  centre of events  when Johnson, the  Birkenhead born  multimillionaire and  founder of the Park  Group,  bought  control of Tranmere  after the club lapsed  into administration in  1987.
 
While Johnson  installed himself as  chairman and injected  the investment that  enabled Tranmere to  climb the divisions  with promotions in  1989 and 1991, Corfe  was the chief  executive and  vice-chairman who  supervised the club’s  day-to-day affairs.
 
They were golden  days as Tranmere  matched success on  the field under  manager John King  with improvements to  Prenton Park which  became a 16,000-plus  capacity all-seater  stadium.

Attendance  figures for home  games climbed and  international players  such as John Aldridge,  Pat Nevin and Gary  Stevens were  recruited by the club.
 
Tranmere reached  the play-offs in the  division now known  as the Championship  in the 92/93 and  93/94 seasons.
 
However, in 1994  Johnson bought  control of Everton  and was obliged  under football  regulations to  relinquish his interest  in  Tranmere. The  shareholding was  passed to Corfe who  became chairman and  oversaw another run  to the play-offs in  94/95 – and another  disappointment in the  semi-finals.
 
However, with the financial input from Johnson no longer on tap, Tranmere found it more difficult to make an impression in English football’s second-tier. Corfe took the decision to dismiss King, the most successful Tranmere manager in history, as the team slid down the table in March 1996. Corfe gave King a hands off role as director of football and appointed John Aldridge as manager.
 
Corfe continued as  chairman until 1998  when he resigned as  the club faced difficult  financial issues and his  friendship with  Johnson ended in an  acrimonious parting  that was ultimately  settled out of court.
 
Corfe’s private  businesses fell into  trouble around about  that time and Johnson  returned to  effectively reclaim the  Tranmere shares he  passed over four  years before.
 
Johnson quickly sold his interest in Everton to become the controlling shareholder at Prenton Park once more. Corfe meanwhile turned his back on football altogether, setting up a new business in Hooton.
 
A Tranmere club  spokesman said:  “Everyone at the club  is saddened to hear  the news of Frank’s  death. Our thoughts  are with his family at  this time.”