ADRIAN BURROWS

Born: 16 January 1959

Came from: Northampton Town   Went to: Elmore

First game: 25 August 1984   Last game: 15 May 1994

Appearances: 324 (316/8)   Goals: 14

Burrows was born in Sutton-in-Ashfield in Nottinghamshire and began his career at Mansfield Town. His father, Horace, had been an eminent pre-war footballer, playing as a youth for Sutton Junction, Mansfield Town and Coventry City before, at senior level, for Sheffield Wednesday, for whom he made over 200 league appearances and won an FA Cup winners' medal in 1935. He was also capped three times by England. Sadly, he died whilst Adrian was just 10 years old. Burrows-the-younger had started out in the Mansfield youth league with Hillock Pathfinders, where future Coventry 'keeper Steve Ogrizovic was a team-mate. Rejected initially due to his lack of height by Mansfield Town, he eventually signed professional terms in May 1979, under, ironically, former Argyle manager Billy Bingham.

He made 78 league appearances over the next three years for the Stags, scoring six goals - but with his contract up and Town struggling financially, he was only offered reduced terms, so he left and moved to Northampton Town. After 88 league appearances and a further four goals, in two years, he felt the Cobblers perhaps lacked ambition. His next move and his route to Home Park were unorthodox, to say the least.

Burrows wrote to then Argyle manager John Hore asking for a trial. Hore took the gamble, initially with a two-week trial, which was then converted to a two-month loan agreement before finally becoming a transfer worth £10,000 to Northampton. It was at the point of his initial trial that he picked up the nickname that was to last his entire Argyle career, 'Shades' - coined by Chris Harrison after Burrows had turned up to his trial wearing a distinct pair of sunglasses! And the nickname stuck.

He initially struggled to make an impact at Argyle. He made 38 appearances in his debut season, 1984-85, but the following season made just seven and, after 'Ciderman' Dave Smith had taken over as manager, he was sent out on loan to Southend United. Smith was keen to agree a permanent deal with The Shrimpers, who were offering £40,000, but Burrows was settled in Plymouth and had no intention of relocating to Essex. He returned to Home Park having played six times for Southend, which included a two-legged League Cup win over top-flight Derby County, with future Argyle manager - and indeed his future manager at Home Park - Peter Shilton, playing.

Back in Plymouth, injuries finally gave Burrows his chance at the heart of the defence and he grasped the opportunity with both hands. He earned the respect of the supporters for his reliability, tough-tackling, aerial ability and intelligent use of the ball from the back. He is often remembered for a handball in the area that enabled Everton to avoid what would have been a huge giant-killing in the 1989 FA Cup third round at Home Park in front of more than 27,000 fans - TV replays later showed Burrows had, however, been shoved in the back and Argyle should have had a free-kick.

Bizarrely, especially considering the 10-year time span of his time at Home Park, Burrows' first and last games for the club both came away at Burnley (both were draws). However, his final appearance was far more significant than his first, coming as it did in the first leg of the 1993-94 Division Two Play-off semi-final in which the then 35-year-old was controversially sent off for two yellow cards at Turf Moor, the second of which was given for a debatable deliberate handball. Burrows retreated to the dressing room, where he marked the end of his Argyle career by breaking down in tears. It was an unfair end to the career of a loyal and committed player, and one who fought for the chance to stay at a club many players are often only too willing to leave.

It was his only career red card and Argyle lost the return second leg at Home Park with Burrows suspended, and were denied promotion. When the retained list was issued shortly afterwards, Burrows name was not on it and his time in green had reached an end. He was, however, rewarded with a Testimonial against his father's former team, then Premier League side Sheffield Wednesday. On July 21st 1994, he led the teams out to applause from both sets of fans, but the gulf in divisions proved too much as Wednesday ran out 5-0 winners, in front of a healthy 7,182 at Home Park.

After his decade at the club 'Shades' had made over 300 appearances, which, if considering 'all competitions', as of January 2025, puts him inside the club's Top 25 appearance-makers. He also netted a respectable 14 times in green.

He dropped into non-league football locally with Saltash United and captained the Cornwall County side, seeing out his final years as a footballer ahead of one final season at Taunton Town.

On retirement from the game, he lived in Exeter, working as a driving instructor and then a postman. He continues to follow the club's fortunes and has been a guest of the new arm of the former Argyle Legends group, Forever Green, on matchdays. He was presented with his legacy number and pack, aptly by his first former manager at the club, John Hore, in March 2025.