| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | James Trainer | ||
| Date of birth | 7 January 1863 | ||
| Place of birth | Wrexham, Wales | ||
| Date of death | 5 August 1915 (aged 52) | ||
| Place of death | Paddington, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||
| Playing position | 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) |
| National team | |||
| 1887–1899 | Wales | 20 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
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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 the best goalkeeper of the English Football League several years in a row starting with the initial season of 1888–89.[1]
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 a 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.[2]