James Joseph Crabtree (15 February 1895 – 4 December 1965) was an English professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper in the Football League for Rochdale, Blackburn Rovers and Accrington Stanley. He was capped by England at amateur level and played one Football League match as an inside forward for Rochdale, for whom he scored two goals. Crabtree later served as a linesman in the Football League and as a referee in the Lancashire Combination.
Personal life Crabtree attended Stonyhurst College. On 5 September 1914, a month after the outbreak of the First World War, Crabtree enlisted as a private in the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment. Just over a year later, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant. Crabtree was wounded near Morval during the Battle of the Somme in September 1916 and saw further action at Arras and Passchendaele after his recovery. He won a Military Cross for "conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty" on 26 September 1917. A month later, he was wounded for a second time and did not serve on the Western Front for the remainder of the war. After being promoted to captain, Crabtree was posted briefly to Central Asia before leaving the army.
Career statistics +Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueFA CupOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsRochdale1921–22Third Division North3401021 appearance in Lancashire Senior Cup, 1 appearance in Manchester Senior Cup03701922–23242104Appearances in Lancashire Senior Cup0292Career total5822060642
Honours Blackburn Rovers
Football League First Division: 1913–14
References