James Trainer

James Trainer

Personal information
Full name	James Trainer
Date of birth	(1863-01-07)7 January 1863
Place of birth	Wrexham, Wales
Date of death	5 August 1915(1915-08-05) (aged 52)
Place of death	Paddington, England
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
Youth career
	Penybryn Wanderers
	Challenger BC
1876–1878	Wrexham Victoria
1878–1881	Wrexham Grosvenor
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1881–1883	Wrexham
1883–1885	Great Lever
1885–1887	Bolton Wanderers
1887–1899	Preston North End	253	(0)
International career
1887–1899	Wales	20	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

James Trainer (born 7 January 1863, Wrexham - died 5 August 1915, Paddington, Central London, England) was a Welsh association football player of the Victorian era. He was named the best goalkeeper of the English Football League several years in a row starting with the initial season of 1888–89, when he was part of the unbeaten Preston North End team nicknamed "The Invincibles".

Trainer first played for a Wrexham club while working as a coachbuilder until he moved to Bolton Wanderers in 1884. During his time there, he also played for Wales against Scotland in 1887.

In 1888 William Sudell persuaded Trainer to join Preston North End, having seem him play against Preston in a match that ended 12–0 for Preston.

Although Trainer played in the majority of Preston’s matches during the initial season of 1888–89, it was fellow Welsh goalkeeper Robert Mills-Roberts who had the honour of playing in the FA Cup final against Wolverhampton Wanderers, in a game that Preston won 3–0, securing the first "Double".

Between 1888 and 1897 Trainer played in 253 games for Preston, and after retiring he became landlord of the Lamb Hotel in Preston.

He later moved to London, where his business failed. He died in poverty in 1915.

External links

• Biography on Welsh Biography Online