Jamie Bates (footballer)

James Alan Bates (born 24 February 1968) is an English former professional footballer who made over 520 appearances for Brentford as a central defender. In a Football League 125th anniversary poll, Bates was named as the Brentford supporters' third all-time favourite player.[3] He also played league football for Wycombe Wanderers.

Jamie Bates
Personal information
Full name James Alan Bates[1]
Date of birth (1968-02-24) 24 February 1968
Place of birth Croydon, England
Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[2]
Position(s) Defender
Youth career
Orient
Southampton
0000–1985 Crystal Palace
1985–1986 Brentford
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1986–1999 Brentford 419 (18)
1987 → Wycombe Wanderers (loan) 1 (0)
1999–2001 Wycombe Wanderers 80 (4)
Total 500 (22)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Career

1986–1994

After spells as a schoolboy with Southampton, Orient and Crystal Palace,[4] Bates joined Third Division club Brentford as a trainee in 1985.[5] After later signing non-contract terms, he made his senior debut in October 1986.[6] Owing to the fitness and form of Keith Millen and Terry Evans, Bates was unable to play his preferred centre back position, instead playing for long periods at full back.[1] Brentford became a threat in the Third Division in the late 1980s and early 1990s and Bates was part of the team which reached the FA Cup quarter-finals in the 1988–89 season (Bates appeared as late substitute for Andy Feeley as the Bees were beaten 4–0 by Liverpool at Anfield) and went out in the 1991 play-off semi-finals to Tranmere Rovers.[7]

Bates made 42 league appearances in a triumphant 1991–92 season for the Griffin Park club and won the first silverware of his career in the form of the Third Division championship.[1] Injury to Terry Evans saw Bates finally take over one of the centre back positions in the newly renamed First Division during the 1992–93 season, though the campaign ended with the league relegated back to the Second Division.[1] Under new manager David Webb, Bates was paired at centre back with Shane Westley during the 1993–94 season and took over the captaincy from Billy Manuel.[1]

1994–1999

1994–95 proved to be Bates' best season – paired with Barry Ashby in central defence, he won the club's Player of the Year award,[8] but at the end of the season he failed to convert a penalty in a playoff semi-final shootout to the eventually-promoted club Huddersfield Town.[1] The 1995–96 season was relatively uneventful, but things came together again in 1996–97,[6] with Bates making 45 appearances and scoring two goals as Brentford reached the 1997 Second Division play-off final.[9] The team, however, lost 1–0 to Crewe Alexandra at Wembley Stadium.[10]

Bates improved his appearance tally to 47 in the 1997–98 season,[11] but a poor campaign saw the Bees relegated to the Third Division on the final day.[12] The takeover of the club by Ron Noades during the 1998 off-season (who installed himself as manager) brought an influx of money and younger players.[13] Though he was still a regular,[14] Bates was soon superseded as captain by new record-signing Hermann Hreiðarsson.[1] He departed on a free transfer March 1999,[15] after making 526 appearances and scoring 24 goals in 13 years at Griffin Park.[1] As of September 2023, Bates is second behind Ken Coote on Brentford's all-time appearances list.[3]

Wycombe Wanderers

Bates signed a two-year contract with Second Division club Wycombe Wanderers on 26 March 1999.[15] It was his second spell with the club, after a brief loan during the 1986–87 season,[16] while the Chairboys were members of the Isthmian League Premier Division.[17] He made 101 appearances and scored seven goals before retiring at the end of the 2000–01 season.[18][19] The highest profile match of Bates' career came in April 2001, when he played in the Chairboys' FA Cup semi-final versus Liverpool at Villa Park, though he gave away a free kick which led to Liverpool's second goal in the 2–1 defeat.[20]

Personal life

After retiring from professional football, Bates became a postman.[21] As of July 2010, Bates was working as a courier for a company in Orpington.[21]

Career statistics
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Brentford 1985–86[22] Third Division 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1986–87[22] 24 1 0 0 0 0 3[lower-alpha 1] 0 27 1
1987–88[22] 23 1 0 0 1 0 2[lower-alpha 1] 0 26 1
1988–89[22] 36 1 2 0 3 0 2[lower-alpha 1] 0 43 1
1989–90[23] 15 0 0 0 3 0 3[lower-alpha 1] 0 21 0
1990–91[6] 32 2 0 0 4 1 6[lower-alpha 2] 0 42 3
1991–92[6] 42 1 3 1 5 0 2[lower-alpha 1] 0 52 2
1992–93[6] First Division 24 0 0 0 4 1 7[lower-alpha 3] 1 35 2
1993–94[6] Second Division 45 2 2 0 2 0 3[lower-alpha 1] 0 52 2
1994–95[6] 38 2 1 0 2 0 4[lower-alpha 4] 0 45 2
1995–96[6] 36 4 5 0 4 0 2[lower-alpha 1] 0 47 4
1996–97[9] 37 2 3 0 4 0 6[lower-alpha 5] 0 50 2
1997–98[11] 40 1 2 0 4 0 1[lower-alpha 1] 0 47 1
1998–99[24] Third Division 27 1 3 1 4 1 2[lower-alpha 1] 0 36 3
Total 419 18 21 2 40 3 43 1 526 24
Wycombe Wanderers (loan) 1986–87[16] Isthmian League Premier Division 1 0 — — — 1 0
Wycombe Wanderers 1998–99[24] Second Division 9 0 — — — 9 0
1999–00[25] 32 1 5 0 4 0 0 0 41 1
2000–01[26] 39 3 7 2 4 1 1[lower-alpha 1] 0 51 6
Total 81 4 12 2 8 1 1 0 102 7
Career total 500 22 33 4 48 4 44 1 625 31
  1. Appearances in Football League Trophy
  2. 4 appearances in Football League Trophy, 2 appearances in Third Division play-offs
  3. Appearances in Anglo-Italian Cup
  4. 2 appearances in Football League Trophy, 2 appearances in Second Division play-offs
  5. 3 appearances in Football League Trophy, 3 appearances in Second Division play-offs

Honours

Brentford

Individual

Notes
  1. Third-tier.
  2. Fourth-tier.

References
  1. Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Harefield: Yore Publications. pp. 17–18. ISBN 0955294916.
  2. "Jamie Bates". Archived from the original on 10 June 1998. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  3. "Brentford". Football League 125. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  4. Official Matchday Magazine Of Brentford Football Club versus Oldham Athletic. Blackheath: Morganprint. 14 August 1999. p. 41.
  5. Croxford, Lane & Waterman 2013, p. 381.
  6. Croxford, Mark; Lane, David; Waterman, Greville (2013). The Big Brentford Book Of The Nineties. Sunbury, Middlesex: Legends Publishing. pp. 476–481. ISBN 9781906796723.
  7. "Beardsley at heart of all ovations" (PDF). Retrieved 20 February 2019.
  8. Croxford, Lane & Waterman 2013, p. 445.
  9. "Games played by Jamie Bates in 1996/1997". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  10. "Gradi dreams on no more". The Independent. 25 May 1997. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  11. "Games played by Jamie Bates in 1997/1998". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  12. "Match Summaries | Saturday, 2 May 1998 : Match Summaries". BBC News. 7 May 1998. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  13. "Where Are They Now? Jamie Bates – Part 2". brentfordfc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 15 February 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  14. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 184.
  15. "Bates Bee-comes a Blue". Bucks Free Press. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  16. "Jamie Bates – Player File". Chairboys on the Net. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  17. Wycombe Wanderers F.C. at the Football Club History Database
  18. Jamie Bates at Soccerbase
  19. Ley, John. "Nationwide Second Division Club By Club Guide". Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  20. "Heskey heads off bravehearts". The Guardian. 9 April 2001. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  21. "Where Are They Now? Jamie Bates – Part 1". brentfordfc.co.uk. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  22. White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. pp. 398–400. ISBN 0951526200.
  23. Croxford, Mark; Lane, David; Waterman, Greville (2011). The Big Brentford Book of the Eighties. Sunbury, Middlesex: Legends Publishing. p. 431. ISBN 978-1906796716.
  24. "Games played by Jamie Bates in 1998/1999". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  25. "Games played by Jamie Bates in 1999/2000". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  26. "Games played by Jamie Bates in 2000/2001". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
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