Burns: Kenneth (Kenny)

1981-1984 (Player Details)

Defender

Born: Glasgow: 23-09-1953

Debut v West Bromwich Albion (h): 17-10-1981

5’10 1/2” 11st (1981)

Burns was on Glasgow Rangers’ books before Birmingham City signed him in July 1971. He won Scottish Youth, Under-Twenty-three and the first of his twenty full caps, with the Midland Club. A free-scoring but inconsistent striker, he excelled after moving into defence. He made one hundred and seventy League appearances at Birmingham, of which seven were as a substitute and scored forty-five goals. Brian Clough signed him for Nottingham Forest, then newly promoted from Division Two, for £150,000 in July 1977. At one time he was renowned for his 'wild man' image and while maintaining an aggressive nature, he also possessed a shrewd football brain and was always likely to score vital goals. Burns was a key figure in Forest’s extraordinary rise to European Champions. The team won the Football League in 1977/78, and the European Cup in both the following two seasons, with Burns at the heart of the defence. Burns was Footballer of the Year in 1978. A tough and uncompromising central defender, Burns could also play with creativity and pass the ball with accuracy. After scoring thirteen goals in one hundred and thirty-seven League appearances for Forest, a fee of £400,000 and a lucrative contract lured Burns to Leeds in October 1981. He also played in midfield but could not stop the slide into the Second Division. He was loaned to Derby County in March 1983, making six League starts and another game from the bench and scored one goal, before signing for them permanently in February 1984. he made a further thirty League starts and another off the bench and scored one further goal before, in February 1985 he went on loan to Notts County, where he made two League apprearances, but moved to Barnsley in August 1985. He started nineteen League games and featured three times as a substitute whilst at Oakwell. He joined his Nottingham Forest and Scotland colleague, John Robertson, at Sutton Town in June 1986, after he had had trials with Swedish club IF Elfsborg. After a spell as Manager of Sutton Town, he joined GM Vauxhall Conference club, and then Stafford Rangers in the 1988 close season. He then signed for Martin O’Neill at Grantham Town. His debut came in the October 1988 League fixture at home to Bridgnorth Town, with his first goal for the club in the January victory over King's Lynn. Kenny even managed to net a hat-trick for Grantham in the 6-0 demolition of Banbury United, only a couple of weeks before his final appearance for the club when he was substituted by Danny Anderson in the league fixture at Hednesford Town. It was then on to Alfreton Town, Gainsborough Trinity, and three successful years as Player-Coach at Ilkeston Town, one of which saw him finish as the club's highest scorer. His career finally terminated at Oakham United, before he became Assistant Manager at Telford United in the summer of July 1993. He later ran a pub in Marchington, near Uttoxeter. He was then a licensee of a pub in Stoke-on-Trent, plus aiding the corporate department at Nottingham Forest.