John BURRIDGE

John Burridge - Manchester City - Biography  of his Man City career.

Photo/Foto: Nigel French

Date: 29 April 1995

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    • POSITION
      Goalkeeper
    • DATE OF BIRTH
      Monday, 03 December 1951
    • PLACE OF BIRTH
      Workington, England.
  • CLUBS
  • Aston Villa
    • Club Career Dates
      1975-1978
    • League Debut
      Saturday, 27th September 1975 in a 2-1 win at home to Birmingham City (Aged: 23)
    • Club Career
      65 League apps
  • Crystal Palace
    • Club Career Dates
      1978-1980
    • League Debut
      Saturday, 18th March 1978 in a 0-0 draw at home to Brighton & Hove Albion (Aged: 26)
    • Club Career
      88 League apps
  • Manchester City
    • Club Career Dates
      1994-1995
    • League Debut
      Saturday, 29th April 1995 as a sub in a 0-0 draw at home to Newcastle United (Aged: 43)
    • Club Career
      3 League apps (+1 as sub)
  • Southampton FC
    • Club Career Dates
      1987-1989
    • League Debut
      Saturday, 17th October 1987 in a 1-0 win at home to Watford (Aged: 35)
    • Club Career
      62 League apps
  • Wolverhampton Wanderers
    • Club Career Dates
      1982-1984
    • League Debut
      Saturday, 28th August 1982 in a 2-1 win at home to Blackburn Rovers (Aged: 30)
    • Club Career
      74 League apps
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John BURRIDGE - Manchester City - Biography of his Man City career.

 

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