 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Frank James Burton | ||
| Date of birth | (1890-09-07)7 September 1890 | ||
| Place of birth | Cheadle,Cheshire, England | ||
| Date of death | 8 July 1967(1967-07-08) (aged 76) | ||
| Place of death | Northcote,Auckland, New Zealand | ||
| Position | Full-back | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Kilburn | |||
| 1910–1912 | Queens Park Rangers | 0 | (0) |
| 1912–1921 | West Ham United | 114 | (6) |
| 1921–1925 | Charlton Athletic | 97 | (0) |
| 1925–? | Grays Thurrock United | ||
| Managerial career | |||
| 1927–1928 | Real Oviedo | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Frank James"Bronco" Burton (7 September 1890 – 8 July 1967) was an English professionalfootballer who played asfull-back forWest Ham United andCharlton Athletic inthe Football League, and also forQueens Park Rangers andGrays Thurrock United. He was laterhead coach of Spanish clubReal Oviedo.
Born inCheadle,Stockport,[nb 1] Burton played for Kilburn before joiningQueens Park Rangers in theclose season of 1910.[2] He did not appear for the QPR first team before joiningWest Ham United in the summer of 1912.[3] He made his debut for West Ham on 5 October 1912 in a 3–1 win at home toPlymouth Argyle, replacing the injuredHarry Forster.[4] He appeared mostly for thereserves in 1912–13 and became a regular for the first team in the second half of 1913–14,[5] initially atleft-half before settling into theleft-back position.[6] He totalled 50 appearances in theSouthern League First Division, forming full-back partnerships withJim Rothwell and thenBilly Cope. He scored four goals during this period, againstSouthampton home and away during the 1913–14 season, and againstBristol Rovers andSouthend United in 1914–15.[7][8]
Burton's career was interrupted byWorld War I and he saw service between 1914 and 1918, as aserjeant in theRoyal Fusiliers,[9] including theSportsmen's Battalions.[10] He fought atYpres, theSomme andCambrai, and sustained six injuries during the conflict.[2][11] He was treated for shrapnel wounds at theWelsh Metropolitan War Hospital,Whitchurch, in 1916.[7] He was awarded theCroix de Guerre andMédaille militaire, amongst other medals, for his service.[2][10][11] Despite this, he turned out for West Ham in the wartimeLondon Combination, making 22 appearances in the1915–16 season, 14 in1916–17 and a further four in1917–18.[8]
After hostilities ended, West Ham were successful in their application to join theFootball League for the upcoming 1919–20 season, and Burton formed part of the team that competed in theSecond Division for the first time in the club's history. He missed the first two matches but returned for the away fixture againstLincoln City on 6 September 1919. He scored from the penalty spot in a 4–1 win, marking West Ham's first victory in the Football League. He gained winners' medals in theLondon Football Association Professional Charity Fund Cup in 1919 and 1920, with both finals contested againstrival clubMillwall. The first was won after a rematch. With the Hammers leading 4–3 atThe Den, the match was abandoned, but they won the replayed fixture 3–1. A 1–0 victory proved sufficient for the 1920 final, held at The Den on 15 November.[1]
In May 1921,[1] he joinedCharlton Athletic along with West Ham teammateDan Bailey.[12] Burton's move to Charlton had coincided with the club's conversion to professionalism and he was a part of the first line-up to compete in the Football League, alongside the likes ofArthur Whalley andHarold Halse.[13] He participated in Charlton'sFA Cup run in 1922–23, which saw them beatManchester City,Preston North End andWest Bromwich Albion to reach the fourth round. They were matched againstBolton Wanderers in a heavily attended fixture atThe Valley, in which a number of spectators were injured after a section of the railings collapsed.[14] Bolton won the game 1–0 and would go on to win the first final atWembley Stadium against his former club West Ham.[15][16] The season also saw Burton gain honours in theLondon Challenge Cup, with a 2–1 victory overCrystal Palace in the final.[10] He played his final season for Charlton in 1924–25, partneringBaden Herod, before losing his place toNorman Smith.[17] He made 97 league appearances in his four seasons with the club.[18]
Burton joinedGrays Thurrock United as player-trainer for the 1925–26 season.[10][18] Grays Thurrock were in their second season of existence and were due to compete in theKent League and the Southern League. They had also engaged the services of Charlton teammateFreddy Wood, as well as a number of other professional players.[19]
On 20 August 1927, he became head coach ofReal Oviedo inAsturias, Spain, becoming the club's second manager after fellow EnglishmanFred Pentland.[20] The club at that point were competing in theRegional Championship of Asturias.[10] He left in January 1928, later to be replaced byAntonín Fivébr.[20]
Burton could play in either full-back position.[11] He was given the nickname Bronco while at West Ham due to his "loping gait and extraordinary onfield contortions", for which he was likened to a cowboy's horse.[7]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Queens Park Rangers[3] | 1910–11 | Southern League First Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1911–12 | Southern League First Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| West Ham United[8] | 1912–13 | Southern League First Division | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 1913–14 | Southern League First Division | 19 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 23 | 2 | |
| 1914–15 | Southern League First Division | 26 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 28 | 2 | |
| 1919–20 | Football League Second Division | 34 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 38 | 2 | |
| 1920–21 | Football League Second Division | 30 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 31 | 0 | |
| Total | 114 | 6 | 11 | 0 | 125 | 6 | ||
| Charlton Athletic[21] | 1921–22 | Football League Second Division | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 0 |
| 1922–23 | Football League Second Division | 38 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 44 | 0 | |
| 1923–24 | Football League Second Division | 19 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 23 | 0 | |
| 1924–25 | Football League Second Division | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | |
| Total | 97 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 107 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 211 | 6 | 21 | 0 | 232 | 6 | ||