Charles Coates

Coates was born in 1912 in Esh Winning, County Durham. He played local football for Hamsteels before signing for Darlington of the Football League Third Division North in 1931. He played and scored for the reserve team in the North-Eastern League, and on 23 January 1932, he made his first-team debut and scored in a 6–3 win against local rivals Hartlepools United in which "Wellock, Grieve and Coates shot at every conceivable opportunity, on the half turn, the volley, the half-volley, and on occasions when their backs were turned to the goal". He scored again in the next match, a 3–1 win against Rochdale, and retained a place in the forward line, mainly at inside left for the rest of the season. He played in the first five matches of 1932–33, four defeats and a draw, and then was out of the side until December, when he became the seventh player to occupy the outside-left position, and the first to settle in it. He finished the season with five goals from 28 league matches as Darlington finished bottom of the table. Coates was one of just five players on Darlington's retained list, published in May 1933 before their application for re-election was considered. The club were duly re-elected, and appointed a new manager, George Collins, who brought in forwards of his own choosing, including John Middleton, Jerry Best – who became one of the club's all-time top scorers – and Dave Edgar, who took over the outside-left position. Coates appeared just twice, and was given a free…