Mick Bates

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Mick Bates
Personnel
Surname Michael John Bates
birthday September 19, 1947
place of birth Doncaster ,  England
position Midfield (left)
Juniors
Years station
Leeds United
Men's
Years station Games (goals) 1
1964-1976 Leeds United 121 (4)
1976-1988 Walsall FC 85 (4)
1978-1980 Bradford City 56 (1)
1980-1981 Doncaster Rovers 4 (0)
Bentley Victoria
Worksop Town
1 Only league games are given.

Michael John "Mick" Bates (born September 19, 1947 in Doncaster ) is a former English football player . Mostly used in left midfield , as a long-time Leeds United player he was mostly in the shadow of renowned team- mates such as Billy Bremner and Johnny Giles . The greatest successes were winning the English championship in 1974 and the two trade fair cup victories in 1968 and 1971 .

Athletic career

After he had already played as a youth for the youth team of Leeds United , Bates signed his first professional contract with the "Whites" in September 1964. Equipped with good technology, but often inconspicuous in his demeanor and at the same time moderately dangerous for goals, he was only reluctantly used. This was also due to competitors like Johnny Giles and Billy Bremner , who set the tone in midfield. It was not until September 3, 1966 that he made his debut under coach Don Revie in a first division game - the game against Burnley FC ended in a 1-1 draw. Overall, however, he played only twelve competitive games in the 1966/67 season, including the first leg defeat in the trade fair cup at Dinamo Zagreb (0: 2), which could not be made up in the second leg (0: 0) without him. A year later he was again in the final of the trade fair cup with Leeds and he helped after a 1-0 first leg win against Ferencváros Budapest in the second leg by substituting for Terry Hibbitt after a good hour to keep the 0-0 and thus win the trophy.

To win the English championship in 1969 he contributed only marginally with four inserts. It was not until March 1970 that he often came in as a substitute for the aforementioned Giles and Bremner. He experienced his sporting climax on May 28, 1971 when he made another final appearance in the trade fair cup . In the 77th minute he equalized with his goal for a 2-2 draw at Juventus Turin , which was decisive because of the following 1-1 in the second leg due to the away goals rule . With the exception of the 1972/73 season, in which he completed 29 league games, he still did not get beyond the status of a supplementary player. In total, he completed 55 championship games in the five years. However, he had always turned down a possible move, including a possible transfer for 100,000 pounds to the very interested Southampton FC . Instead, he often blended into the Leeds United reserve team. When he won the English championship in 1974 , he was in ten league games on the field, including nine times in the starting line-up, and scored two goals, an injury from the game on icy ground against the Queens Park Rangers in December 1973 had prevented a possible larger contribution. The injury ultimately ensured a complete break until February 1976 and only a short time later he said goodbye after twelve professional years for Leeds United in the direction of third division FC Walsall .

The transfer fee for Bates was £ 25,000 in June 1976 and at the age of 29 he immediately became captain of Walsall FC . In total he played two years for the "Saddlers" and scored five goals during his 85 league appearances. He then returned to Yorkshire and was hired for £ 25,000 in June 1978 with fourth division Bradford City . He stayed there for another two years before returning to his native Doncaster. The Rovers played in the fourth division, but increasingly injured, Bates only made four league appearances - three of them in the starting line-up. Last known stops were Bentley Victoria , when Bates met his former teammate Rod Belfitt , and Worksop Town .

After retiring from football, he ran his own insurance company for 21 years before retiring in 1999.

Title / Awards

literature

  • Martin Jarred & Malcolm MacDonald: Leeds United - The Complete Record . DB Publishing, 2012, ISBN 978-1-78091-031-4 , pp. 185 f .

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Bates, Mick
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Bates, Michael John
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English soccer player
DATE OF BIRTH September 19, 1947
PLACE OF BIRTH Doncaster