James Bailey

Crewe Alexandra

Born in Bollington, England, Bailey started his football career at Bollington United Juniors before joining Crewe Alexandra, where he signed his first professional contract in the summer of 2007. Bailey made his full Crewe debut at right-back at 19 years of age, when he came on as an 89th-minute substitute for Danny Woodards in a League One home fixture against Doncaster Rovers on 22 December 2007, with Crewe 2–0 down. Doncaster scored twice in the final minute for a final scoreline of 4–0. This proved to be Bailey's sole appearance of the 2007–08 season, but he earned a one-year deal with the club, which he signed in May 2008, with first team coach Steve Holland stating "We are delighted that James has signed a new contract. He has been given another year and we will review it again in relation to his progress. He has made progress this year and now it is up to him to go on again and compete for a place in the squad." An impressive pre-season saw Bailey return to the side for the opening fixture of the 2008–09 season, where he started in his now familiar midfield role, as Crewe lost 2–1 to Brighton & Hove Albion. Although the season was a disappointing one for Crewe, who were relegated to League Two, it was a personal success for Bailey, as he kept his place in the side with a number of mature performances in central midfield alongside Michael O'Connor and earned a new and improved contract until 2011, as he recorded 31 league and cup appearances…