Burton: Stanley (Stan)

WW2 Guest: 1941-1942 (Leeds United War-time Guest Player Details)

Outside Right

Born: Wombwell: 03-12-1912

Debut: v Middlesbrough (h): 09-05-1942

Height & Weight: Unknown

Burton started his football career with Thurnscoe Victoria before signing for Third Division North Doncaster Rovers where he stayed for over five seasons. He scored three goals in eleven appearances in his first season of 1932-33 and contributed twelve goals from thirty-six appearances as Rovers gained promotion in the 1934-35 season as Champions of the Third Division North. He played one hundred and ninety-six League games and notched fifty goals, together with two goals in six F.A. Cup ties, before leaving to join First Division Wolverhampton Wanderers during the 1938-39 season. A dashing winger, he was affectionately nicknamed "Dizzy" by the Wolves fans. He made his Wolves debut on 10th September 1938 in a 1-0 win at Brentford, but he did not stay long at Molineux, scoring three goals in twenty-eight League appearances before moving on to Second Division West Ham United in May 1939. He also scored one goal in four F.A. Cup ties, as Wolves reached the F.A. Cup Final. There was only a losers’ medal for Burton as they were beaten 1-4 by Portsmouth in the Final on 29th April 1939. Five days later he signed for West Ham and thus became the first player in history to appear in a Final and play for another club before the end of the season. He made his West Ham debut along with Cliff Hubbard against Manchester City at Upton Park in a 2-1 victory on the 6th May 1939, and scored one of the goals. It was destined to be his first and last officially recognised League appearance, although he did play all three of the games at the beginning of the following season before League Football was scrapped because of World War Two. He made his debut for the Hammers on 6th May 1939 in the final game of the 1938-39 season in a 2-1 home win over Manchester City and had played at Outside Right in all three of the Hammers League games in the 1939-40 League season before the Second World War caused the suspension of League Fixtures. He didn't play for West Ham during the War Years, but returned north and guested with his local teams, Doncaster Rovers for four games in 1939-40, scored five goals in thirty games in 1940-41 and six goals in twenty-six games in 1941-42, and Barnsley in 1941-42 for one game, and 1942-43 for three games without scoring. He also made one War-time guest appearance for Leeds United in the final game of the 1941-42 Football League Northern Section (Second Championship) on 9th May 1942 in the 2-1 home win over Middlesbrough. He was at Chesterfield in 1942-43, where he scored eight times in twenty-three games and he played three times in 1943-44 with Sheffield Wednesday, without scoring, and 1944-45 saw him score once in fourteen games for Bradford City. He later played Non-League football with Frickley Colliery and Peterborough United, but the War had seen an end to his Football League career. He died in 1977.