James William Crabtree (23 December 1871 – 18 June 1908[1]) was a gifted English footballer of the end of the 19th century. Crabtree, alongside his great rival Ernest Needham, was described as the finest wing-half and the greatest player of all time by various teammates and journalists, including Sir Charles Clegg and Howard Spencer.
Crabtree began his career at Burnley, but left in 1890 and played in non-league football for two years before returning to Burnley for the 1892–93 season.[2] His performances attracted the attention of FA Cup holders, Aston Villa, in 1895. He played alongside Howard Spencer at left-half, and went on to share the captaincy of the club with him.
He won League Championship medals with Villa in 1897, 1899 and 1900, he also lifted the FA Cup in as a part of the Aston Villa team that completed the Double in 1897. He was capped 11 times by England whilst at Villa. Crabtree joined Plymouth Argyle in January 1904 and made four appearances in the Southern League before injury forced him to retire.[3] He then coached at several non-league clubs and later became a pub licensee in Birmingham.
Crabtree is considered as one of the best footballers of the 19th century. Numerous footballers and experts named him as they best player they had ever seen at the time.[6] He also remains one of the greatest Aston Villa legends.
