Burndean
| Full name | Burndean |
|---|---|
| Founded | ? |
| Ground | ? , ? England |
| League | First Division |
Burndean are a fictional football team that appeared in the Bristish comic Roy of the Rovers and also the Project 917 strip. Burndean were one of the strongest teams in the Roy of the Rovers strip in the late 80s and early 90s.
History
1970s success
Burndean were a permanent fixture in the First Division since the early 70s. They won the League title in 1973/74, when they were also beaten in the F.A. Cup Final by the mighty Melchester Rovers. The two would meet in the Charity Shield match at Wembley to open the following season.
In the 70s Burndean were a mid-table team, neither threatened by relegation nor troubling the teams at the top end of the table. In 1976/77, a young blond goalie, Makepeace, had recently been promoted to the first team in place of Trevor Dawson. For two seasons, 1977/78 and 1978/79, they wore a smart all white strip, featuring a nice badge in the latter season. Rovers won at Burnham Park 3-0 in 77/78 and continued their unbeaten record against 'Dean after a 3-3 draw in 78/79.
1980s
Burndean's clashes with Melchester were not well documented in the early 80s. But they featured again in a flashback scene, featuring Carl Hunt in 1984. Carford City midfield enforcer Hunt, had broken the leg of popular defender Les Anderson during a league match.
In 1985/86 Rovers resumed their normal thrashing of 'Dean with a comfortable 4-0 win. The goals came from Hunt, Race, Vic Guthrie and Spandau Ballet star Steve Norman. Mulleted striker, Mason, had missed an excellent early chance, and Rovers were ruthless from that point forward.
The late 80s saw the emergence of three of the best players to ever wear the Burndean shirt. Brian 'Crawler' Tebbit, came to prominence in the 1987/88 F.A. Cup Semi-Final, as he tormented Roy Race in an attempt to get the great man sent-off. However his tricks backfired as he himself was dismissed, as Melchester ran out 4-0 winners to secure their place at Wembley.
1988/89 introduced probably Burndean's greatest ever player: Newton Oates, a tall, strong centre-forward, with tremendous pace and power, burst onto the scene scoring four goals as 'Dean destroyed Rovers 6-3. Inspirational and tough captain, Don Palmer, led this Burndean side, managed by Bob Sturges. In the league match, Burndean's long-ball tactics dominated as Rovers just could not cope with Oates. But Rovers would gain revenge soon enough, in the 5th Round of the F.A. Cup. An amazing 8-1 victory punctuated with a hat-trick for Rovers young forward Wes Harper.
Newton Oates and Don Palmer were part of a very good Burndean team, that finally challenged at the very top end of English football. Burndean have a history of having very good goalkeepers, from John Makepeace, up to the early 90s as Bob Harvey and Wales international Gareth Evans make the number one jersey their own. Oates was replaced by Phil Garret, who was partnered by Scotsman MacNally.
1990s
Rovers defeated 'Dean 1-0 in 1990/91 with a goal from Roy Race. But Burndean would gain some revenge over Melchester with a famous win in the 1991/92 F.A. Cup Semi-Final. Burndean were struggling at the bottom of the First Division, but won 1-0 thanks to a Phil Garret strike and a superb display from Bob Harvey in goal. The classy veteran keeper saving a Roy Race penalty in the final seconds of the match.
The 1992/93 season saw Rovers win a F.A. Cup 3rd Round clash, 3-2 in Ralph Gordon's first match in charge. MacNally scored, but Rovers dominated an the to goals scored by 'Dean gave an unrealistic slant to the scoreline.
Honours
Note that all records are fictional, as of the 2000/01 season. Info may be incomplete.
League
- First Division: Winners: 1973-74, 1990-91
Cups
- FA Cup: Runners up: 1973-74, 1991-92
- Charity Shield: Winners: 1973-74 (shared)
Colours and kits
Burndean traditionally wear white combined with green. Particulartly, colours were All white or white with green sleeves/stripes. In 1984 Burndean were shown their away strip of red shirts and white shorts.
The 87-89 period in Burndean's history saw a change in secondary colour, as green was replaced with blue. In 1991/92 as Burndean return in a white and green striped jersey.
Burndean kits 1983-1993
Rivalries
Burndean have been a constant thorn in the side of Melchester Rovers since the mid-70s. Despite never being a consistently top side, they have had a fair amount of success. Results vs Melchester -
- Burndean - Melchester Rovers: 1-2 (L 73/74 F.A. Cup Final)
- Burndean - Melchester Rovers: 1-2 (L 76/77 Division 1)
- Burndean - Melchester Rovers: 0-3 (L 77/78 Division 1)
- Burndean - Melchester Rovers: 3-3 (D 78/79 Division 1)
- Burndean - Melchester Rovers: 0-4 (L 85/86 Division 1)
- Burndean - Melchester Rovers: 1-2 (L 87/88 F.A. Cup Semi-Final)
- Burndean - Melchester Rovers: 6-3 (W 88/89 Division 1)
- Burndean - Melchester Rovers: 1-8 (L 88/89 F.A. Cup 5th Round)
- Burndean - Melchester Rovers: 0-1 (L 90/91 Division 1)
- Burndean - Melchester Rovers: 1-0 (W 91/92 F.A. Cup Semi-Final)
- Burndean - Melchester Rovers: 2-3 (L 92/93 F.A. Cup 3rd Round)
Stadium
Seasons
- 1973-74: ROTR Div1
- 1974-75: ROTR Div1
- 1975-76: ROTR Div1
- 1976-77: ROTR Div1
- 1977-78: ROTR Div1
- 1978-79: ROTR Div1
- 1980-81: ROTR Div1
- 1981-82: ROTR Div1
- 1985-86: ROTR Div1
- 1987-88: ROTR Div1
- 1988-89: ROTR Div1
- 1990-91: ROTR Div1
- 1991-92: ROTR Div1
- 1992-93: ROTR Div1
Notable players
Two great players wore their shirt, Newton Oates and Don Palmer and they had a tradition for top goalies, the best being Bob Harvey.
Bob Harvey- Don Palmer
- Newton Oates
- Trevor Dawson
- Phil Garret
McNally- John Makepeace
Gareth Evans- John Makepeace
- Les Anderson
Notable managers
Comments (by Storky)
- Some confusion rests around the 87/88 quarter-final as Burndean were named as opponents, despite wearing a black and white striped strip. I believe this to be a typo and perhaps it should read Blackport.
