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They say that goalkeepers have to be a little mad to play between the
sticks but John 'Budgie' Burridge certainly took the role to new
heights in his footballing career with some bizarre antics both on and
off the pitch. Nevertheless he was a consummate professional and fitness
fanatic who always gave good value for money, both to the team with his
shot-stopping skills and the supporters with his entertainment value.
Born
in Workington, Cumbria he made his debut for his local club as an
18-year old in 1969 and first came to prominence in a six-year spell at
Blackpool in the early-seventies, going on to play at the top level of
English football with Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, Wolves and
Southampton and also in the Scottish Premier League with Aberdeen and
Hibernian, where he won a Scottish League Cup winners medal. With a
daily fitness regime and obsessive diet he stuck to religiously it was
no wonder that he refused to hang up his gloves as he approached the
latter stages of his career, becoming something of a journeyman
footballer in the eighties and nineties when he had short spells at
numerous clubs, usually coming about as a result of a goalkeeping
crisis.
It was in such circumstances that Burridge arrived at
Manchester City in December 1994, being signed by manager Brian Horton
from Scottish Second Division side Dumbarton as cover for Tony Coton,
Andy Dibble and Martyn Margetson, who had all been unavailable at
different stages of the season through either injuries, suspension or,
in Margetson's case, being out on loan. He finally got his first-team
chance on April 29th 1995 when he came on as a half-time substitute for
Tony Coton (who had torn a thigh muscle) in a goalless draw with
Newcastle United at Maine Road (the photo above is during the game),
getting a rousing reception from both sets of fans as he became the
oldest player to have played in the Premiership at the age of 43 years, 4
months and 26 days. With the Blues safe from relegation on forty-eight
points he kept his place for the midweek draw with Aston Villa (1-1), as
second-choice Andy Dibble was still suffering with a groin strain, and
subsequently played in the last two games of the season which ended in
defeats by Nottingham Forest (1-0) and QPR (2-3).
He left City at
the end of the season and over the next three years continued to ply
his trade with different clubs at different levels of the game, finally
deciding to call time on his colourful playing career in 1997 when he
was player-manager at non-league Blyth Spartans. He had managed to play
for an incredible twenty-nine clubs, either on loan or on a permanent
deal, clocking up 798 league appearances. He has since stayed within
football and has had a number of jobs as a goalkeeping coach, including
working for the Oman national team, and has also been involved in media
work in the Far East. (David Redshaw)
1969–1971 Workington 27 (0)
1971 Blackpool (loan) 3 (0)
1971–1975 Blackpool 131 (0)
1975–1978 Aston Villa 65 (0)
1978 Southend United (loan) 6 (0)
1978–1980 Crystal Palace 88 (0)
1980–1982 Queens Park Rangers 39 (0)
1982–1984 Wolverhampton Wanderers 74 (0)
1984 Derby County (loan) 6 (0)
1984–1987 Sheffield United 109 (0)
1987–1989 Southampton 62 (0)
1989–1991 Newcastle United 67 (0)
1991–1993 Hibernian 65 (0)
1993 Newcastle United 0 (0)
1993 Scarborough 3 (0)
1993–1994 Lincoln City 4 (0)
1994 Enfield 0 (0)
1994 Aberdeen 3 (0)
1994 Newcastle United 0 (0)
1994 Dunfermline Athletic 0 (0)
1994 Dumbarton 3 (0)
1994 Falkirk 3 (0)
1994–1995 Manchester City 4 (0)
1995 Notts County 0 (0)
1995 Witton Albion 0 (0)
1995 Darlington 3 (0)
1995–1996 Grimsby Town 0 (0)
1996 Gateshead 0 (0)
1996 Northampton Town 0 (0)
1996 Queen of the South 6 (0)
1996 Purfleet 0 (0)
1996 Blyth Spartans 0 (0)
1996 Scarborough 0 (0)
1997 Blyth Spartans 0 (0)
Total 768 games
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