DON'T mention John Burridge - the much-travelled goalkeeper of yesteryear when World Cup
winner Ossie Ardiles is booked to be one of the guest speakers at a
dinner in McMenemy's Bar at Grimsby Town's Blundell Park ground on March
6.
The pair famously fell out in the last minute of a First
Division match on Boxing Day, 1987, between Ardiles' side, Spurs, and
Burridge's Southampton at the Dell.
According
to Burridge, who was briefly on The Mariners' books in the 1995-96 season, Ardiles tried to tread on his feet at a Spurs corner - but
the goalkeeper managed to get his stamp in first.
In his
2011 autobiography, Budgie, he writes: " I gave him the old two studs
combination on the metatarsal and he went down in absolute agony."
Ardiles
(and other opponents) were doubtless unaware that Burridge had a habit
of filing down the back studs on his boots so they were sharp as
bullets.
He says: "When people came up to me at a corner and tried to bully and intimidate me, I'd seize the moment.
"I'd bring my left or right boot down on the striker's metatarsal - BANG!
"It sounds sounds cruel and dirty but it was kick or be kicked."
Did
the officials not inspect the players studs before the match?
Apparently, it tended only to be a cursory check in which they ran their
fingers over the front studs.
Burridge claims that, following the match, which Saints won 2-1, Ardiles shouted at him:
"You
animal!" then tried to push him down the 10 steps that led to the
dressing rooms - to which he responded by "smacking" him
Alas for Burridge, the incident came back to haunt him later when he was first-team choice for Newcastle United.
Out
of the blue, Ossie Ardiles was appointed Toon manager - and Burridge
was soon shown the door. The following season, he was plying his trade
with Hibernian in the Scottish Premier League.
Budgie - The Autobiography of Goalkeeping Legend John Burridge is published at £16.99
by John Blake.
It also available, on loan at North East Lincolnshire libraries.
Thanks for sharing, nice post! Post really provice useful information!
ReplyDeleteGiaonhan247 chuyên dịch vụ mua hàng mỹ từ dịch vụ order hàng mỹ hay nhận mua nước hoa pháp từ website nổi tiếng hàng đầu nước Mỹ mua hàng ebay ship về VN uy tín, giá rẻ.