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Bobby Burke

Name: Robert Gallee Burke
Born: 5 November 1934, Ballymena
Height:
Weight:

Position: Inside-Right

Representative Honours: Irish FA Representative; Irish League: 1 Cap (1963).

Club Career:
Teams
Seasons
Signed
Fee
League
FA Cup
Other
Albertville
-
-
-
-
-
-
Burnley
55/56
Sep-55
-
19/ 5
1/0
-
Chester
58/59
Jun-58
-
0/ 0
-
-
Ballymena United
62/63-63/64
-
-
*39/13
-
-
TOTALS
-
£-
-
-
-
* all games.

Biography:
In the 1950s the Irish FA regularly hosted the British Army for representative matches. The teams that were selected by Peter Doherty in these games featured fringe internationals, experienced Irish League campaigners and possible stars of the future in what could be considered the "B" international games of the day. One such "star of the future" to appear in these games was Burnley's Bobby Burke, a player who had been plucked from junior football in his native Ballymena by Burnley in 1955.

Burke made a bright start at Turf Moor, playing in twenty matches mainly at inside-right, as stand-in for Jimmy McIlroy. However, when his fellow Ulster-man returned to the squad for the 1956/57 season Burke was sidelined and his final appearance in claret and blue came against Luton in April 1956. The following October brought his selection for the Irish FA in a 2-1 defeat by the Army.

After two seasons without any firstteam action, Burke left Burnley to sign for Chester. His stay at Sealand was brief and in the early-sixties he was back in Ballymena, playing for United. While with the Braidmen he represented the Irish League, playing in a 3-1 win over the League of Ireland in March 1963.

Ballymena stats from Neil Coleman - The Official History of Ballymena United FC

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