John Burridge was born in Workington and after briefly going down the mines, where his father worked, he became Workington's goalkeeper. He moved on to Blackpool in April 1971 and from there he had a succession of clubs as he continued playing professional football into his 40s. He became the oldest player to appear in the Premier League when he played for Manchester City in 1994/95. In total he played 771 games for the 19 clubs that he represented at League level. In all he played for 29 different clubs at all levels. While still playing he took his coaching badges and after retirement from the first-class game he continued in a coaching capacity, as well as becoming player-manager of Blyth Spartans. He eventually took up a coaching post in Oman and then spent time, briefly, in Abu Dhabi before moving back to Oman to become a television pundit and newspaper columnist. He is one of the world's great eccentrics (and there is nothing wrong with that!). Gerry Wolstenholme May 2011