Thanks – Rob Burch

Rob Burch was a good goalkeeper, of that there is no doubt. He arrived as part of the much-heralded ‘Magnificent Seven’, but unlike Graham, he was the only one who was even close to magnificent. However, his spell at Lincoln will always be sullied a little by the circumstances of his arrival.

He signed for the Imps after a short stint with Sheff Weds, having spent five years at Spurs. He was a safe pair of hands in Peter Jackson’s spell as manager, something that was needed given the frailties of the defence. The trouble was Alan Marriott had to make way for him, and Alan Marriott was only one year away from a testimonial.

It is harsh on a player that he is judged by who he replaced and not on his own steam, but whereas Marriott stayed loyal to the club when his stock rose, Burch did not. After Jackson was dismissed he saw out the season before leaving on a free transfer to Notts County. Maybe he could sense what was coming. Things never worked out for him at County though and after just 15 league appearances in two years he was replaced.

In 2019, he was appointed as keeper coach at Fulham, having been Head of Academy Goalkeepers at Spurs.