| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Eric Lazenby Gates | ||
| Date of birth | 28 June 1955 | ||
| Place of birth | Ferryhill, County Durham, England | ||
| Playing position | Forward (retired) | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1973–1985 | Ipswich Town | 296 | (73) |
| 1985–1990 | Sunderland | 181 | (43) |
| 1990–1991 | Carlisle United | 38 | (8) |
| Total | 515 | (124) | |
| National team | |||
| 1980 | England | 2 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Eric Lazenby Gates is an English former football player born on 28 June 1955 in Ferryhill, County Durham. He was a striker.
He started 345 times for Ipswich Town with another 39 appearances as a substitute, under Bobby Robson, scoring 96 goals and winning the UEFA cup in 1981 and FA Cup in 1978 (he did not play in the final of the latter); he also received two caps for the English national side in 1980.[1] In 1985 he moved to Sunderland for £150,000, making 167 league appearances (19 as substitute) and scoring 45 goals. He also made seven appearances in the FA Cup for the Black Cats, scoring two goals, and 18 appearances in the Football League Cup with six further goals.
During his time at Sunderland, they were relegated to the Third Division. Gates created a strike partnership with Marco Gabbiadini, the pair scoring 42 between them for Sunderland the following season. He scored four, in a 7-0 defeat of Southend United in November 1987. Gates' final goal for Sunderland came in the 1990 play-off semi-final win at Newcastle United, where he then set up his strike partner to seal a 2-0 win. In 1990 he left Sunderland for Carlisle United for his final season in league football.
In all, Gates played 515 games and scored 124 goals at league level.
He worked, until recently, for Century FM on The Three Legends show. It was reported by the Evening Chronicle in May that Century FM and Gates were in dispute after Gates signed to local radio station BBC Radio Newcastle.[2] Gates has since been replaced by ex-Sunderland player Micky Horswill.