Winter: Jamie

2003-2005 (Player Details)

Midfield

Born: Dundee: 04-08-1985

Debut: Nil

5'10" 13st 4lb (2007)

The midfielder is the son of a former St Johnstone and Forfar player Gordon Winter, who played around two hundred and fifty senior games, plus numerous other matches in Scottish Junior football with the likes of Downfield and Dundee St Josephs. As a youngster the Rangers-supporting Winter was playing for his National side, when he came to the attention of Leeds, when Brian Kidd was watching the Scotland Schoolboys at one of the games. He was invited to Leeds to inspect the set-up. Winter joined Leeds, signing as a trainee on 1st July 2003 and played in the Juniors with the likes of Aaron Lennon, Scott Carson, James Milner and Andy Keogh. Hopes were high of a third FA Youth Cup win but they were beaten at the Quarter-Final stage by Charlton Athletic. He admired the coaching skills of Terry Venables and Peter Reid as he improved his skills under their tutelage. He and several other Juniors thought that, due to United's financial situation and the wholesale exodus of star players, they may be fast-tracked into the senior team. It wasn't until the last games of the 2003-04 season that his new mentor, Eddie Gray, called him up as a substitute for the penultimate game of the season, and the final game at Elland Road in the EPL, against Charlton Athletic but he didn't receive the call and remained unused.He was sad to see Eddie Gray not re-appointed as Manager and felt that new Manager Kevin Blackwell did not give him a fair chance. After being the only Junior added to the first team squad by Blackwell he had just two selections as an unused substitute, at home to Preston North End in the League on 16th October 2004 and at Portsmouth in the League Cup ten days later, he was quite happy when he was informed of Aberdeen's interest in him and he signed for them on 11th January 2005, six months before his Leeds contract was due to expire. He signed a two and-a-half year contract with Aberdeen and was given a free transfer by Leeds. He made his senior debut, as a substitute at Pittodrie against Celtic, Balde, Lennon, Sutton, Hartson, Juninho and all. Celtic won 1-0 but it took a turn for the better the following week and he had his first start against heroes Rangers, and he became a regular feature for the rest of that season for the Dons.However, Manager Jimmy Calderwood signed a couple of midfielders and he played them in preference to Winter and so it was time to leave. However, he persevered and scored his first senior goal in a League Cup tie with Berwick Rangers. A loan spell at St Johnstone brought some success as they were undefeated in the eight games he was with his father's former team. At Pittodrie, he enjoyed the highlight of his career to date, when scoring against Celtic to put Aberdeen into the lead, but Celtic hit back to win the game 3-1. In his time at Pittodrie he scored the one goal in the League from nineteen games, of which six were from the bench. In the Cups there was the goal against Berwick Rangers in four starts. On 10th August 2007 he signed for Chesterfield on a free transfer after his contract with Aberdeen had expired. He signed a two year contact with the Spireites and in his time with them he scored twice in thirty-eight starts and made eleven substitute appearances in the League and scored twice in three starts in the F.A. Cup, had one start in the League Cup and two starts in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy, without scoring. His contract was not renewed at the end of the 2008-09 season. He signed for Scottish Highland League team Formartine United on 25th September 2009. After ten starts and one substitute appearance, his contract was cancelled by mutual consent and he is no longer in football.