Full name Colin Coates Name Colin Coates Career start 2002 2001–2002 Crusaders Weight 85 kg | Number 6 Height 1.85 m Playing position Role Footballer | |
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Date of birth (1985-10-26) 26 October 1985 (age 30) Place of birth Belfast, Northern Ireland Current teams Crusaders F.C. (#6 / Defender), Northern Ireland national football team (Defender) | ||
Education Grosvenor Grammar School | ||
2014 colin coates football highlights
Colin Coates (born 26 October 1985) is a semi-professional footballer from Northern Ireland who plays as a centre-back and captains NIFL Premiership club Crusaders.
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Club career
Coates was born in Belfast. He attended Grosvenor Grammar School, not traditionally a football-playing school, but despite this, made a name for himself at Crusaders. He later revealed that at 15, he had the choice of signing for either Crusaders or Glentoran. He made his first-team debut against Chimney Corner in the County Antrim Shield on 29 October 2002, and scored on his league debut, a 2-4 defeat to Glentoran on 9 November.
He has developed a formidable partnership in the centre of defence with David Magowan over the years, and he was part of the team which won the Irish Cup in 2009, and was called up to the Northern Ireland squad for the match against Italy on 6 June 2009, in which he played the full 90 minutes to receive his first cap.
He also scored a late equalizer in normal time in the County Antrim Shield final against Linfield. The Crues went on to win the game 3-2.
Coates was instrumental in Crusaders' triumph in the 2012 Setanta Sports Cup. In the semi-final second leg against Sligo Rovers, he scored an extra-time penalty which put Crusaders into the final. In the final itself against Derry City, he scored twice in a 2-2 draw, and scored in the resulting victorious penalty shoot-out in a man of the match performance. He also scored in the 2012 Irish Cup Final in a 1-4 defeat to Linfield. Coates has become the highest scoring central defender in Irish league football with his goal against Glentoran in late 2016. His presence in the box,neat finishing and even freekick taking make him an all round player with a great left foot.
International career
In May 2010, Coates was called up to the Northern Ireland squad for friendly matches against Turkey and Chile (against both of whom he played as a second-half substitute). He also appeared in a friendly against Morocco, and signed a contract that same season with Crusaders to keep him at the club until 2014.
As of 11 August 2011, he has received 6 caps, and is the most capped Crusaders player of all time.