BEN BURGESS FACTFILE

Born: Buxton, 1981 (Age 34) 1998-2003 A forward, Burgess came through the ranks at Blackburn, making the first of his two appearances in a second-tier match against Portsmouth in September 2000. After loan spells at Australian side Northern Spirit (16 goals in 27 games) and League One Brentford (18 in 51), he made a £400,000 switch to third-tier Stockport County in 2002 but was loaned out to Oldham before being sold to Hull for £100,000 in 2003.

2003-06

An instant hit at the KC, Burgess finished his debut season as top scorer with 18 goals as the Tigers finished second to seal promotion from the basement division. However, a serious knee injury caused him to miss the entire 2004-05 campaign as Hull won promotion to the Championship. He returned in 2005-06 but further injuries meant Burgess played just 17 more games before leaving to join Blackpool for a fee of £25,000 in August 2006.

2006-10

Promoted to the Championship in his first season at Bloomfield Road, Burgess remained near ever-present over the next three seasons, scoring 23 goals in 126 games, including 31 appearances as the Seasiders won promotion to the Premier League with a play-off victory over Cardiff in 2010.

2010-Present

Released by Blackpool in August 2010, Burgess joined League One Notts County, where he scored five goals in 45 matches. He then joined Tranmere in the summer of 2012, only for historic knee problems to force his retirement – aged 30 – without kicking a ball. Having already completed a degree in sports journalism, Burgess then qualified as a teacher and now works in a primary school.