Background
Yates was born in Blackburn but started his football career with Accrington in 1879.
Yates was born in Blackburn but started his football career with Accrington in 1879.
Yates returned to Accrington in February 1886, and spent a further two years with the club before joining Burnley in 1888, in time for the inaugural season of the Football League. He made 21 league appearances, scoring five goals as Burnley finished in ninth place, having to seek re-election at the end of the season. He had previously represented Lancashire on many occasions, and received his solitary England cap for the match against Ireland played at Anfield, Liverpool on 2 March 1889, thus becoming Burnley"s first England international.
Despite this, he was not selected for the match against Scotland six weeks later.
He is one of five players to have scored a hat-trick on his England debut, yet not make a second appearance. He continued to make sporadic appearances for Burnley over the next few years, before retiring from playing in 1894, returning to his profession of cotton weaver.
During his later years he was landlord of the Brickmakers" Arms, a public near to the Turf Moor ground in Burnley. He died of cancer on 1 June 1917.