Burgess Dick Image 1 Queen’s Park Rangers 1925

Description

Goldenhill, Staffordshire born inside forward (who played all of the three inside positions) Dan “Dick” Burgess began his football career with Goldenhill Wanderers prior to the outbreak of the First World War and first came to prominence playing for Port Vale in wartime league football when he scored 4 goals in 7 appearances for The Valiants during their 1918-19 campaign. Playing at inside right he scored one his debut in a 3-1 victory over Manchester United in a Football League Lancashire Section match at the Old Recreation Ground on 14th December 1918.

In February 1919 he signed for Arsenal, and when peacetime football resumed he made his Football League debut playing inside right in a 3-2 win at Liverpool in the second match of the new season at the start of September, and he scored the only top flight career goal in a 2-2 draw at Blackburn Rovers towards the end of the same month. But after the return fixture he lost his place in early October, and remained a fringe player for Arsenal for a further two seasons, making 13 appearances for The Gunners before he joined Second Division club West Ham United in June 1922.

After two early season appearances for The Hammers, he spent the rest of the season in their reserves before a move to Third Division (South) club Aberdare Athletic in May 1923. An ever present in their 1923-24 campaign, he was their top goalscorer with 16 goals and he enjoyed another season of regular action before a transfer to Queen’s Park Rangers in June 1925 after 26 goals in 83 appearances for Aberdare. But he lost his place in November 1926 and played only 4 more matches for Rangers, joining Kent League club Sittingbourne in the 1927 close season, moving on to play for Dartford in 1928. He finally joined Sheppey United in 1929, his final known club before his eventual retirement.

NB although the image was published while at Dartford in a series of cards produced between 1925 and 1928, the same image was previously issued while Burgess was at Queen’s Park Rangers. Even then, as Rangers generally wore the same hooped shirts they wear today, it poses the question as to whether this is a QPR strip or perhaps a photo taken while he was with Aberdare Athletic, who again didn’t wear striped shirts as a primary kit.