- Eric Gates
Infobox Football biography
playername = Eric Gates
fullname = Eric Lazenby Gates
nickname =
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1955|6|28|df=y
cityofbirth =Ferryhill ,County Durham
countryofbirth =England
position = Forward (retired)
youthyears =
youthclubs =
years = 1973–1984
1984–1990
1990–1991
clubs = Ipswich Town
Sunderland
Carlisle United
Total
caps(goals) = 296 0(73)
181 0(43)
038 00(8)
515 (124)
nationalyears = 1980
nationalteam = England
nationalcaps(goals) = 002 0(0)Eric Lazenby Gates is an English former football player born on
28 June 1955 inFerryhill ,County Durham . He was a striker.He would start 345 times for Ipswich Town with another 39 appearances as a substitute, under
Bobby Robson , scoring 96 goals and winning the UEFA cup in 1981 andFA Cup in 1978, and received two caps for the English national side in 1981. In 1985 he moved to Sunderland for the sum of £150,000, making 167 league appearances (19 as substitute) and scoring 45 goals. He also made 7 appearances in the FA Cup for the Black Cats, with 2 goals, and 18 in the Football League Cup with 6 further goals.During his time at Sunderland, they were relegated to the third division. The worst ever position the club has ever suffered. Eric was remembered for his strike partnership with
Marco Gabbiadini , the pair scoring 42 between them as Sunderland bounced back from this low point the following season. He scored 4, in a 7-0 rout of Southend United in November 1987. Eric's final goal for Sunderland came in the 1990 Play-off semi-final win atNewcastle United , where he then set up his strike partner to seal a 2-0 win.In 1990 he left Sunderland for Carlisle United for his final season in league football.
In all, Gates played 515 games and scored 124 goals at league level.
He worked, until recently, for Century FM on The Three Legends show. It was reported by the
Evening Chronicle in May that Century FM and Gates were in dispute after Gates signed to local radio stationBBC Radio Newcastle . [cite news| author = Gareth Deighan| title = The two legends| url = http://icnewcastle.icnetwork.co.uk/chroniclelive/eveningchronicle/tm_method=full%26objectid=18734570%26siteid=50081-name_page.html| publisher = The Evening Chronicle| date =2007-03-10 | accessdate = 2007-08-29] Eric has since been replaced by ex Sunderland playerMicky Horswill .Eric has now become one of the North East's most popular after dinners speakers with his entertaining personality and stories from his football career.
Honours
Ipswich Town
*FA Cup winner 1978.
*UEFA Cup winner 1981.
* Amsterdam 700 Tournament winner 1981.Sunderland
*Football League Third Division winner 1987–88.References
External links
* [http://www.ericgates.co.uk EricGates.co.uk - Eric's personal website]
* [http://www.prideofanglia.com/sql/players/profile.phtml?&last=Gates&first=Eric Eric Gates' career at Ipswich Town]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
