Burgess played for local side Goldenhill Wanderers before joining Port Vale in December 1918 after leaving the army.
[3] He scored on his debut at inside-right in a 3–1 victory over Manchester United in a Football League Lancashire Section match at the Old Recreation Ground on 14 December 1918.
He finally found regular first-team football at Aberdare Athletic, scoring 24 goals in 77 Third Division South across the 1923–24 and 1924–25 campaigns.
He returned to London to play for Queens Park Rangers, scoring 8 eight goals in 32 Third Division South fixtures across the 1925–26 campaign.
He left the Football League, spending the remainder of the decade in non-League circles at Sittingbourne, Dartford and Sheppey United.