| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Osagyefo Lenin Ernesto Burton-Godwin[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1977-11-25)25 November 1977 (age 48)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Birmingham, England[3] | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1993–1994 | Bolton Wanderers | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1994–1999 | Crystal Palace | 25 | (1) |
| 1999 | Colchester United | 9 | (0) |
| 1999–2000 | Sheffield United | 0 | (0) |
| 2000–2002 | Port Vale | 86 | (2) |
| 2002 | Crewe Alexandra | 1 | (0) |
| 2002–2006 | Peterborough United | 96 | (4) |
| 2006–2007 | Shrewsbury Town | 44 | (5) |
| 2007–2008 | Barnet | 30 | (1) |
| 2008 | Rushden & Diamonds | 11 | (0) |
| Total | 302 | (13) | |
| International career | |||
| 2004 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 3 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Osagyefo Lenin Ernesto Burton-Godwin (born 25 November 1977), known commonly asSagi Burton, is an English-born formerKittitian internationalfootballdefender. In a 14-year professional career in English football, he made 344 appearances in league and cup competitions.
A formerBolton Wanderers trainee, he began his career withCrystal Palace in 1994. Failing to establish himself in the first team during his five years at the club, he joinedSheffield United viaColchester United in 1999. The following year, he signed withPort Vale, where he first found regular football. In 2002, hetransferred toPeterborough United viaCrewe Alexandra. Four years later, he moved on toShrewsbury Town before spending the 2007–08 campaign withBarnet. He retired from the game following a brief spell withRushden & Diamonds in 2008.
Born ofKittitian and of Jamaican descent, Burton began his footballing career as a trainee atBolton Wanderers before switching toCrystal Palace on 1 August 1994.[4] He went on to make his début in thePremier League match atDerby County on 20 December 1997. He played in a goalless draw atPride Park for ninety minutes. Following Palace'srelegation, he played 23 of the club's 46First Division matches in thefollowing season. Despite this, he was still allowed to drop down a division to joinColchester United for a nominal fee on 7 August 1999.[5] After making just twelve appearances in league and cup competitions, by 15 October he was on his way to back into the First Division after signing forSheffield United on afree transfer.[6] This spell would prove to be a brief one, and in January 2000, he joinedBrian Horton'sPort Vale, also of the First Division, again on a free transfer. He made 22 appearances for theStaffordshire club in1999–2000 and found himself on the scoresheet in home draws withCharlton Athletic andBarnsley. He established himself as "a powerful presence" and "impressive in the air".[7] Despite this, Vale were relegated at the end of the season.
He went on to make 37 appearances in2000–01, including the club'sFootball League Trophy success overBrentford at theMillennium Stadium.[8] He achieved this honour despite having beentransfer-listed in December.[9] By2001–02 he was an essential first-team player and played 42 of the club's 53 games in league and cup. Despite this, he was not retained beyond the summer and promptly joinedCrewe Alexandra on a short-term deal.[10]
After just one game in three weeks, Burton and Crewe parted ways, and he went to joinPeterborough United, also of theSecond Division, on a one-year deal as a utility player.[11] He played 33 times for the "Posh" in2002–03, though it would be Crewe who won promotion out of the division following their second-place finish. He played 34 games in the2003–04 campaign as Peterborough successfully avoided relegation, and Burton overcame a hamstring injury and a knee problem.[12][13]
Appointed as the club's vice-captain,[14] he made 16 league appearances inthe inaugural season ofLeague One football. Missing five months with ashoulder injury,[15][16][17] he could do little to prevent the club from suffering relegation intoLeague Two. Recovering from a pre-season foot injury,[18] he made 24 appearances in the first half of the2005–06 campaign, before making a January move to league rivals toShrewsbury Town,[19] despite reported interest fromMacclesfield Town andSPL sideFalkirk.[20][21] He settled in quickly at his new club, and put in solid performances at centre-back. Despite injury and suspension hampering his first few months at the "Shrews",[22] he still netted four times in 16 games for theShropshire club in the latter half of the2005–06 season. After recovering from a short illness, he made 33 appearances in2006–07,[23] helping Shrewsbury to secure aplay-off place. He was a latesubstitute forBen Herd during the club'splay-off final defeat toBristol Rovers.[24] Following the defeat he was released by the club.[25]
After a successful trial, he signed withBarnet for the2007–08 campaign.[26] He served as vice-captain at the club,[27] but was not retained beyond summer 2008,[28] despite having formed a strong defensive partnership withIsmail Yakubu.[29] In July 2008,Conference National clubRushden & Diamonds announced that Burton had signed with them until the end of the2008–09 season.[30][31] He made his debut in the final of the Maunsell Cup on 26 July 2008, captaining Rushen to victory over former club Peterborough United.[32] However, he was released in November after making just eleven appearances.[33]
Burton won three caps forSaint Kitts and Nevis in 2004. He made his debut on 2 June in a 2–0friendly defeat toNorthern Ireland.
In autumn 2006, he turned down the chance to play in theCaribbean Cup for his country, preferring instead to stay with Shrewsbury to play league games againstHartlepool United andDarlington.[34]
Burton worked as a fitness instructor in West London after his footballing retirement.[35]
| Season | Club | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Crystal Palace | 1994–95[36] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995–96[37] | First Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1996–97[38] | First Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1997–98[39] | Premier League | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| 1998–99[40] | First Division | 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 1 | |
| Total | 25 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 1 | ||
| Colchester United | 1999–2000[41] | Second Division | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Sheffield United | 1999–2000[41] | First Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Port Vale | 1999–2000[41] | First Division | 20 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 22 | 2 |
| 2000–01[42] | Second Division | 29 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5[a] | 0 | 37 | 1 | |
| 2001–02[43] | Second Division | 37 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 42 | 1 | |
| Total | 86 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 101 | 4 | ||
| Crewe Alexandra | 2002–03[44] | Second Division | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Peterborough United | 2002–03[44] | Second Division | 31 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 0 |
| 2003–04[45] | Second Division | 30 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[a] | 1[a] | 34 | 2 | |
| 2004–05[46] | League One | 16 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 1 | |
| 2005–06[47] | League Two | 19 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3[a] | 0 | 24 | 2 | |
| Total | 96 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 110 | 5 | ||
| Shrewsbury Town | 2005–06[47] | League Two | 16 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 4 |
| 2006–07[48] | League Two | 28 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3[b] | 0 | 33 | 1 | |
| Total | 44 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 49 | 5 | ||
| Barnet | 2007–08[49] | League Two | 30 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 34 | 1 |
| Rushden & Diamonds | 2008–09[50][32] | Conference National | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Career total | 302 | 13 | 13 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 19 | 2 | 346 | 16 | ||
Port Vale
Crewe Alexandra
Rushden & Diamonds
coach was invoked but never defined (see thehelp page).