Crowe: Jason William Robert (Jason)

2009-2011 (Leeds Player Details)(Player Details)

Right Back

Born: Sidcup, London: 30-09-1978

Debut v Exeter City (h): 08-08-2009

5’9” 10st 9lb (2009)

Crowe, an England Schoolboys and England Youth International, started his career as a trainee at Arsenal and signed professional forms on 13th May 1996. Long-serving Lee Dixon still had a firm hold on the Right Back spot and there was little chance of an easy passage to the top flight. Although he was unable to break into the first team, he was getting valuable experience in the Arsenal Reserves and made twenty-nine starts and another game from the bench in the 1997-98 season. He made his debut as substitute in a League Cup tie in a 4-1 win against Birmingham City on 14th October 1997, but in his eagerness to impress he was sent off after just thirty-three seconds by referee Uriah Rennie for a reckless foul tackle. It was the fastest debut sending-off in English football history. He played a further two matches for Arsenal, both as a substitute, one in the League Cup, another in the F.A. Cup. The FA Cup tie, on 25th February 1998, in which Arsenal beat Crystal Palace 2-1, was his last game for Arsenal. He was loaned to First Division Crystal Palace from 11th November 1998 until 10th January 1999, making eight starts. He joined First Division Portsmouth on 7th July 1999, for a fee of £1,000,000, a huge fee for a twenty-year-old of little experience. He started twenty-one League games and was a substitute in four others in his first season at Fratton Park, but was transfer-listed by Manager Tony Pulis at the start of the 2000-01 campaign. On 12th September 2000 he was loaned to Brentford for a month, but his stay was extended for a further two months. After a successful first month, the Bees had been hoping to tie up a permanent deal for the former Arsenal defender, but the management changes at Fratton Park put those plans on hold. He made nine starts in the League and two more in the League Cup, while at Griffin Park. After returning to Portsmouth he made twenty-three League appearances, of which two were from the bench in his second season at Fratton Park. During his third season with Portsmouth, Crowe made twenty-two League appearances, including two as a substitute and scored his first goal for the club during a 2-2 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux. In his final season at Portsmouth, Crowe played in sixteen League games, of which nine were as a substitute and scored four goals. After winning promotion to the EPL, Crowe was one of five players to be released by Pompey Manager Harry Redknapp. In his time at Fratton Park he scored five League goals and made sixty-seven starts and nineteen more as a substitute, as well as one start and two games from the bench in the F.A. Cup and four starts in the League Cup. After his release by Portsmouth, he joined Second Division Grimsby Town on 7th August 2003 on a two year contract. He was a first team regular, but at the end of his first season the Mariners were relegated to League Two. In his second season he was almost ever-present and, with his contract running out, he was offered a new deal by Grimsby, but he also wanted to listen to other contract offers, as he was now under the Bosman ruling. Crowe eventually agreed a contract at Northampton Town on 7th July 2005. While at Blundell Park he scored four League goals in sixty-four starts and five games from the bench, while also making three starts in both the F.A. Cup and League Cup, without scoring. He initially signed a two-year contract with the Cobblers and won promotion during his first season at the club in which he made forty-one League appearances and scored two goals. At the end of his second season in which he scored three goals in forty-three League starts, he signed a two-year extension to his contract during June 2007. The full back was offered another new contract with Northampton after the club were relegated to League Two on the final day of the 2008-09 season after a 3-0 defeat by Leeds United. On 16th June 2009, it was announced that Crowe had rejected the new contract offer at Northampton before agreeing a contract at League One side Leeds United, beginning on 1st July 2009. During his four seasons at Sixfields he had scored fourteen goals in one hundred and seventy-one League games, including one as a substitute. He scored two goals in ten starts in the F.A. Cup, one in eight starts in the League Cup and made one start and three substitute appearances in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy. He made his first team debut for Leeds in the first game of the season win against Exeter City. He was Leeds' regular right back, but had been struggling with a hamstring injury in games, and suffered further hamstring damage while playing against against MK Dons and had to be substituted early in the game. He missed his first Leeds United game after the hamstring injury ruled him out of the next game, which was against Carlisle United. He then played irregularly until he was left out of the side in favour of Leigh Bromby. However, when Bromby ran into suspension problems Crowe was brought back to deputise and made an heroic goal-line clearance in the F.A. Cup tie at Old Trafford, which helped United to a historic victory. Crowe kept his place in the team, with Bromby watching from the bench, but after a poor performance in a 0-3 loss at Swindon Town on 26th January in a League game he was dropped for the ensuing game home game with Colchester United. He was given another chance in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy tie on 9th February 2010 and scored his second Leeds goal as Leeds were eliminated from the Trophy on penalties. Unfortunately he picked up an ankle injury and had to have an operation, which curtailed his season, as Leeds finished the season on a high note with promotion to the Championship. In the close season Leeds bought Paul Connolly from Derby County and he was handed the number two shirt ahead of Crowe. On 10th December 2010, not having figured with the first team to that point, he was told by Manager Simon Grayson that he was no longer part of his plans and after he turned down chances of going on loan, he was placed on the transfer list in January 2011. His contract was cancelled by mutual consent and he was transferred to Leyton Orient on a contract to the end of the season on 31st January 2011. He made twelve appearances in the League, at Brisbane Road, of which seven were as a substitute and also started two F.A. Cup ties. His contract was not renewed at the end of the season.