James William Crabtree (23 December 1871 – 18 June 1908[1]) was a gifted English footballer of the end of the 19th century.
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | James William Crabtree | ||
| Date of birth | 23 December 1871 | ||
| Place of birth | Burnley, England | ||
| Date of death | 18 June 1908 (aged 36) | ||
| Place of death | Birmingham, England | ||
| Position(s) | Full back / Half back | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1889–1890 | Burnley | 3 | (1) |
| 1890–1891 | Rossendale | ? | (?) |
| 1891–1892 | Heywood Central | ? | (?) |
| 1892–1895 | Burnley | 69 | (8) |
| 1895–1904 | Aston Villa | 176 | (6) |
| 1904 | Plymouth Argyle | 4 | (0) |
| Total | 252 | (15) | |
| International career | |||
| 1894–1902 | England | 14 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Career
editCrabtree began his career at Burnley, but left in 1890 and played in non-league football for two years before returning to Burnley for the 1892–93 season.[2] His performances attracted the attention of FA Cup holders, Aston Villa, in 1895. He played alongside Howard Spencer at left-half, and went on to share the captaincy of the club with him.
He won League Championship medals with Villa in 1897, 1899 and 1900, he also lifted the FA Cup in as a part of the Aston Villa team that completed the Double in 1897. He was capped 11 times by England whilst at Villa. Crabtree joined Plymouth Argyle in January 1904 and made four appearances in the Southern League before injury forced him to retire.[3] He then coached at several non-league clubs and later became a pub licensee in Birmingham. He died suddenly at the age of 36.[4] His death was drink related.[5]
Honours
editReferences
edit- ^ Sporting Life, 19 June 1908, p6
- ^ Simpson, Ray (2007). The Clarets Chronicles. ISBN 978-0-9557468-0-2.
- ^ "Jimmy Crabtree". Greens on Screen. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
- ^ Sparks, Gordon (10 February 2018). "England defender had career ended by injury at Argyle". Plymouthherald.co.uk. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
- ^ Not Taking the Medicine: Sportsmen and Doctors in Late Nineteenth-Century Britain, Mike Cronin, Journal of Sport History, Vol. 34, No. 1 (Spring 2007), pp. 23-35
External links
edit- Jimmy Crabtree at Aston Villa Player Database
- Jimmy Crabtree at Englandstats.com
- Jimmy Crabtree at Spartacus Educational
