Personal
Full name: Thomas Burns
Nickname: ‘Reddy’ Burns
Birthplace: Glasgow, c.1866
Signed: 1889
Left:
Died: 1893, Blyth, England
Position: Goalkeeper
Biog
Goalkeeper Thomas Burns appears to have been an incredibly unlucky man.
He was mainly a reserve for Celtic, however played a small number of games for the first team in the early-1890s. This included a competitive fixture in the 1889-90 Glasgow North Eastern Cup (Thistle 0-5 Celtic), as the Celts went on the retain their first ever trophy.
As well as playing for the Bhoys, he turned out for other local teams in Glasgow, including Linthouse. It is possible that he was the same T Burns (goalkeeper) who played for Partick Thistle too, although some evidence suggests there could have been two players with this name.
In the second half of 1892, Burns moved to the north of England where he worked continued to work as a caulker in a shipyard. He also played as goalkeeper for Blyth. The move had initially gone well, including his football career where he appeared in various matches, including against Berwick Rangers.
However he eventually faced many problems, and suffered a tragic end.
Early in his Blyth career (in September 1892), his new team played him when he was not in fact eligible (in a 5-2 win versus Gateshead N.E.R.). As a consequence, Blyth had two points deducted in punishment, which was said to hurt their title hopes.
By coincidence, Celtic’s league challenge in 1890-91 (the first year of the Scottish League) also involved a points deduction for fielding an ineligible goalkeeper.
In late-1892, he was involved in a serious incident during a match for Blyth where he sustained broken ribs, playing to the end but collapsing after the match.
He could not play for a few weeks but eventually recovered and also went back to his work in Blyth shipyard.
But then came an even bigger problem. One day at work, Burns collapsed, although there was little understanding of the cause of this. It seemed unlikely that he would play again, and Blyth brought in a new ‘keeper.
He was obviously a popular man and his teammates took turns to sit up with him at night in his final days. Sadly, Burns died in February 1893, of what was described as a “brain fever”. He was aged only 27.
His funeral took place on Thursday 23 February 1893 and he was buried in Cowpen Catholic Cemetery in Blyth.
