Bates joined the club in January 1978 from Shrewsbury, after questioning the lack of professionalism at Gay Meadow - a club he was later to return to as manager! Ironically, he made his Town debut at Shrewsbury on the 20th January, where he helped the Town to a 3-2 win.
He made fourteen appearances before the end of that season, but only scored once - not a good record for a centre forward. He endeared himself to the Town crowd the following season, becoming the Town's top scorer with fourteen goals.
The emergence of Andy Rowland and Alan Mayes as the club's first choice strike partnership kept Bates out of the side for the majority of the 1979/1980 season, and he made just seven appearances, three as substitute. The lack of first team opportunity prompted his move to Bristol Rovers in March 1980.
Bates later returned to the County Ground, as an assistant to both Lou Macari and Ossie Ardiles during the Town's revival later in the 1980's.
| Season | LEAGUE | FA CUP | EFL CUP | TOTAL | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Gls | Apps | Gls | Apps | Gls | Apps | Gls | |
| 1987/88 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1979/80 | 4 (+3) | - | - | - | 0 (+1) | 1 | 4 (+4) | 1 |
| 1978/79 | 34 (+8) | 15 | 4 | 2 | 5 | - | 43 (+8) | 17 |
| 1977/78 | 12 (+2) | 1 | - | - | - | - | 12 (+2) | 1 |
| TOTAL | 50 (+13) | 16 | 4 | 2 | 5 (+1) | 1 | 59 (+14) | 19 |
Note that appearance data for reserve and youth teams may not be complete. Expand for more information.
| Club | Details |
|---|---|
West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion |
December 1964 (schoolboy) |
Tipton Town
Tipton Town |
|
Stourbridge
Stourbridge |
August 1969 |
Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury Town |
May 1974 |
Swindon Town
Swindon |
January 25th, 1978 |
Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers |
March 10th, 1980 |
Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury Town |
December 1980
July 23rd, 1984 (player-manager) |
Swindon Town
Swindon |
rptd January 11th, 1988 (assistant manager) |
Stoke City
Stoke City |
May 1991 (assistant manager)
October 26th, 1993 (caretaker) |
Celtic
Celtic |
November 9th, 1993 (assistant manager) |
Stoke City
Stoke City |
October 1994 (assistant manager)
July 1st, 1997 (manager) |
Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury Town |
1999 (assistant manager)
November 8th, 1999 (caretaker) November 16th, 1999 (assistant manager) October 22nd, 2004 (caretaker) November 15th, 2004 (assistant manager) ; retired |