Jimmy Crabtree
 | |||
| 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 | |||
| 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 | |||
James William Crabtree (23 December 1871 – 18 June 1908[1]) was a gifted English footballer of the end of the 19th century. Crabtree, alongside his great rival Ernest Needham, was described as the finest wing-half and the greatest player of all time by various teammates and journalists, including Sir Charles Clegg and Howard Spencer.
Career
[edit | edit source]Crabtree 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.
Death
[edit | edit source]He died suddenly at the age of 36.[4] His death was drink related.[5]
Legacy
[edit | edit source]Crabtree is considered as one of the best footballers of the 19th century. Numerous footballers and experts named him as they best player they had ever seen at the time.[6] He also remains one of the greatest Aston Villa legends.
Honours
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- ^ Sporting Life, 19 June 1908, p. 6
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- ^ 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
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External links
[edit | edit source]- Jimmy Crabtree at Aston Villa Player Database
- Lua error in Module:Wd at line 633: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). at Englandstats.comLua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
- Jimmy Crabtree at Spartacus Educational
- 1871 births
- 1908 deaths
- Footballers from Burnley
- English men's footballers
- England men's international footballers
- Men's association football defenders
- Burnley F.C. players
- Rossendale United F.C. players
- Heywood Central F.C. players
- Aston Villa F.C. players
- Plymouth Argyle F.C. players
- English Football League players
- Southern Football League players
- English Football League representative players