Burden: Thomas David (Tommy)

1948-1955 (Player Details)

Wing Half

Born: Andover: 21-02-1924

Debut v Sheffield Wednesday (a): 11-09-1948

5’81/2” 11st 5lb (1951)

#83 in 100 Greatest LUFC Players Ever

He played for Somerset County Boys and was recommended to Wolverhampton Wanderers, then managed by Major Frank Buckley, by his headmaster. He was only sixteen when he played for them in War-time football. He played three times in 1939-40 and twice in 1940-41, without scoring. He served with the Rifle Brigade and Royal Fusiliers and despite being injured in the D-Day landings, completed a PT course at Loughborough College. He played with Chester in the last seasons of the Second World War, as an attacking inside forward and scored seven times in fourteen games in 1944-45 and twelve times in twenty-three appearances in 1945-46. He had been with the Third Division North side, Chester City, for two seasons after the War when Major Buckley signed him for Leeds in July 1948. He was at that time a goalscoring inside forward as his forty goals in eighty-two League games, whilst with Chester, in peace-time, might suggest. After initially playing in the inside forward role he moved back to the left half spot and made it his own. He was a natural leader of men, leading by example and he was an obvious choice as captain in his last four years with United. He was a model of reliability and consistency as his record with Leeds testifies. After making his debut against Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough on 11th September 1948, he missed just one game until the end of the 1948-49 season, playing thirty-five games in the League and one in the F.A. Cup and scoring three times. His inspirational leadership was a major factor in United’s famous FA Cup run in 1949-50 and making the team one of United’s best-ever to that point in time. He was an ever-present in both League and F.A. Cup in that history-making season, in which Leeds finished fifth in the Second Division. Just three games were missed in 1950-51, which saw Leeds again fifth and both he and John Charles were given four games at centre-forward, when Len Browning was injured towards the end of the season, in which Leeds again finished fifth. 1951-52 saw him miss just two games in the League and F.A. Cup as United again were on the fringes of promotion, but finished sixth. Another season as an ever-present saw Leeds slip from contention as they finished tenth in 1952-53 in their last season under Major Buckley. Just two games were missed in 1953-54 but Leeds again finished tenth in Raich Carter's first season in charge, even though John Charles scored forty-two League goals. He left Leeds after a difference of opinion with Raich Carter. Carter had a self confidence that some of the players at Elland Road felt bordered on arrogance. There was a dressing room row, following a bungled free kick routine that cost Leeds a goal, during a 5-3 defeat at Bury in the fifth game of the 1954-55 season. It made Captain Tommy Burden decide that he'd had enough. "Carter was blaming the goalkeeper Jack Scott. I thought 'This isn't fair …' so I turned round and said, 'You're the one who's bloody well to blame.' We fell out. I think Raich suffered from thinking that there weren't many better players than he." Burden, who had regularly made the marathon five hundred mile round trip to matches at Elland Road from his home in Somerset during his more than six years at Elland Road, was transferred to Bristol City. He was not alone in finding the new Leeds manager hard going. The official stance was that he wanted to move to his beloved West Country. He was sold to Bristol City for £3,000 in October 1954. It was Leeds’ sad loss, as he went on to captain Bristol City, playing almost two hundred and fifty games. He made two hundred and thirty-one League appearances and scored twenty goals whilst at Ashton Gate. He gained a Third Division South Championship Medal in 1954-55, his only tangible reward for a dedicated career. He retired in June 1961. He later worked for Clark’s shoes in Street, Somerset. He died in Taunton in 2001.