Mick Bates (footballer)
Michael John " Mick " Bates ( born September 19, 1947 in Doncaster) is a former English footballer. Used mostly in the left side of midfield, he was a long-time players of Leeds United in the shade mostly renowned teammates such as Billy Bremner and Johnny Giles. Greatest success was winning the British Championship and the two Fairs Cup wins from 1968 and 1971 1974.
Sports career
After he had played as a youth for youth teams from Leeds United, Bates signed in September 1964 his first professional contract with the " Whites ". With a good technique equipped, but often unremarkable in its appearance, while moderately torgefärlich, he was reluctant to use. This was also due to competitors such as Johnny Giles and Billy Bremner, who set the tone in the midfield. It was only on September 3, 1966, he made his debut under manager Don Revie in a first division - the match against Burnley ended with a 1-1 draw. Overall, however, he played in the season 1966/67, only twelve duty games, including the final first leg defeat in the Fairs Cup Dinamo Zagreb ( 0-2), the second leg (0-0 ) then without him could not be made up. A year later he was with Leeds again in the final of the Cup fair and he helped after a 1-0 first-leg win against Ferencvaros Budapest in the return game by Substitutes for Terry Hibbitt after the hour, to keep the 0:0 and thus to win the trophy.
For winning the English Championship 1969, he was wearing only a marginal contribution with four inserts. It was only in March 1970, he came often to the already mentioned Giles and Bremner, alternatively, to train. He experienced his sporting highlight on 28 May 1971 under a new Final appearance in the Fairs Cup. In the 77th minute, he leveled with his goal for a 2-2 draw at Juventus, which had a decisive character in the second leg on the away goals rule by the following 1:1. With the exception of the 1972/73 season in which he completed 29 league games, he still did not come on the status of a supplementary player also. In total he completed in the five years 55 championship games. However, he had always turned down, including a possible transfer of 100,000 pounds for very interested Southampton FC a possible change. Instead, he often was in keeping with the reserve team of Leeds United. When winning the English Cup in 1974, he stood in ten league games on the field, including nine times in the starting lineup and scored two goals, with an injury from the game had on icy ground against Queens Park Rangers in December 1973 prevented a possible greater contribution. The Blessur ultimately made for a complete break until February 1976, and shortly thereafter he left after twelve years as a professional for Leeds United in the direction of third division side FC Walsall.
The transfer fee for Bates was in June 1976 25.000 pounds and at the age of 29, he was immediately captain of FC Walsall. Overall, he played two years for the " Saddlers " and during his 85 league matches he scored five goals. Then he returned to Yorkshire and 25,000 pounds he hired in June 1978 to the fourth division Bradford City. He stayed there for another two years before he returned to his native town Doncaster. The Rovers acted as it were in the fourth- highest division, but increasingly injury- plagued Bates came just four league operations - three of them in the starting XI. Last known stations were Bentley Victoria, as Bates met his former teammates Rod Belfitt, and Worksop Town.
After the end of his footballer career, he ran for 21 years his own insurance company before he left in 1999 to retire.
Title / Awards
- Fairs Cup ( 2): 1968, 1971
- English Championship ( 1): 1974