Jimmy Yates

Infobox Football biography
playername = Jimmy Yates


fullname = James Yates
height =
weight =
dateofbirth = 1871
cityofbirth = Sheffield
countryofbirth = England
dateofdeath = death date|1922|9|5|df=y
cityofdeath = Southampton
countryofdeath = England
currentclub =
clubnumber =
position = Right winger
youthyears =
youthclubs = Kelvinhaugh
years = 1891–1892
1892–1893
1893–1897
1897–1898
1898–1899
1899–1901
1901–1903
1905
1905–1906
1906
1908–1909
clubs = Burnley
Ardwick
Sheffield United
Southampton
Gravesend United
Southampton
Hastings & St Leonards United
Southampton
Gravesend United
Hastings & St Leonards United
Salisbury City
caps(goals) = 00 0(0)
20 0(9)
80 0(8)
13 0(6)

49 0(9)

01 0(0)

manageryears =
managerclubs =
nationalyears =
nationalteam =
nationalcaps(goals) =
pcupdate =
ntupdate =

Jimmy Yates (1871 – 5 September 1922) was an English professional footballer who played as a right winger in the 1900 FA Cup final for Southampton.

Playing career

Yates was born in Sheffield, but started his professional career across the Pennines in November 1892 with Second Division Ardwick, after spending the 1891–92 season on the books of Burnley. He made his Ardwick debut on 24 December, 1892 in a 2–1 defeat at the hands of Lincoln City. Toward the end of the season he hit a rich vein of goalscoring form, scoring five goals in six matches. In the 1893–94 season he played in 13 consecutive matches, scoring a brace in his final Ardwick appearance, a 3–0 win against Walsall Town Swifts. [cite book |last=James |first=Gary |title=Manchester City - The Complete Record |publisher=Breedon |location=Derby |date=2006 |id=ISBN 1-85983-512-0 pp270–273] In total he made 21 appearances for Ardwick, scoring nine goals. In December 1893, after just under a year in Manchester, he moved back to his native town to join Sheffield United in the First Division. He spent four seasons with United playing at the top level in English football, and played a major part in them reaching the runners-up position in the 1896–97 season.

In the summer of 1897, he was one of four Football League players who were signed by Southern League champions Southampton. Described by Holley & Chalk as "a dapper, clever forward" who "when at his best, was virtually unstoppable" [cite book | author=Duncan Holley & Gary Chalk | title=The Alphabet of the Saints| publisher= ACL & Polar Publishing | year=1992| pages=p.379|id=ISBN 0-9514862-3-3] his first season at The Dell was often interrupted by ill-health and he was out of the team from March onwards, thus missing out on "Saints" first FA Cup Semi-final against Nottingham Forest [ [http://www.freewebs.com/captainbeecher/1898.htm Giant Killers 1898] ] . In the 1897–98 season he made thirteen appearances scoring six goals as Southampton again claimed the Southern League championship.

At the end of the season, because of his poor health, he decided not to sign a new contract and moved to Kent where he played for Gravesend United, also then in the Southern League. He returned to Southampton in March 1899, in time to help the Saints clinch the championship for the third successive season.

The following season, Saints were able to finish in only third place in the table, as they were concentrating their efforts on the FA Cup where they reached the final for the first time in their history, the highlight of which was a 4-1 drubbing of Newcastle United in which Yates was among the scorers. [ [http://www.freewebs.com/captainbeecher/1900.htm Giant Killers 1900] ] Unfortunately, the Cup Final was a great disappointment as Saints were swept aside 4–0 by Bury.

In 1900–01 he was part of the forward line-up which claimed the league title for the fourth time in five years after which he again left the club for an easier life in Sussex where he turned out occasionally for Hastings & St Leonards United, keeping in touch with his former club by acting as a scout. He also spent some time in Denmark coaching for Copenhagen.

In March 1905 he returned to The Dell for the third time (making him the only player in Southampton's history to sign for the club on three separate occasions). He only made one appearance (against Northampton Town on 18 March 1905) before finally retiring from playing football. In his three separate spells with Southampton, he made a total of 77 appearances, scoring 22 goals.

Over the next few years, he again turned out for both Gravesend and Hasting & St Leonards, before coaching in Brazil and USA. He returned to Southampton in 1907, taking up employment as a stevedore in Southampton Docks. He was still dogged by ill-health resulting in him losing his job. Unable to find employment, he committed suicide on Southampton Common in September 1922. [cite book | author=Gary Chalk & Duncan Holley | title=Saints - A complete record| publisher= Breedon Books| year=1987| pages=p.260|id=ISBN 0-907969-22-4]

Honours

;Sheffield United
* Football League First Division runners-up:1896–97

;Southampton
* FA Cup finalist: 1900
* Southern League championships: 1897–98, 1898–99 and 1900–01

References

Persondata
NAME = Jimmy Yates
ALTERNATIVE NAMES = James Yates
SHORT DESCRIPTION = Footballer
DATE OF BIRTH = 1871
PLACE OF BIRTH = Sheffield England
DATE OF DEATH = 5 September 1922
PLACE OF DEATH = Southampton England