Jimmy Crabtree

Not to be confused with Jimmy Crabtree (footballer, born 1895).

Jimmy Crabtree
Personal information
Full name James William Crabtree
Date of birth (1871-12-23)23 December 1871
Place of birth Burnley, England
Date of death 18 June 1908(1908-06-18) (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

James William Crabtree (23 December 1871 – 18 June 1908[1]) was a gifted English footballer of the end of the 19th century.

Career

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. He died suddenly at the age of 36.[4] His death was drink related.[5]

Honours

Aston Villa

References

  1. ^ Sporting Life, 19 June 1908, p6
  2. ^ Simpson, Ray (2007). The Clarets Chronicles. ISBN 978-0-9557468-0-2.
  3. ^ "Jimmy Crabtree". Greens on Screen. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
  4. ^ Sparks, Gordon (10 February 2018). "England defender had career ended by injury at Argyle". Plymouthherald.co.uk. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
  5. ^ 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