He obtained six O-levels and after leaving school, he began his footballing career with Midland League side Denaby United while working at Dodworth Colliery.
It was considered a brave move but Ardiles would become one of the Spurs greats and Villa would score one of the greatest goals ever seen at Wembley in the 1981 FA Cup Final replay.
In his final game in charge, Spurs won the UEFA Cup for a second time after a penalty shoot-out after the second leg at White Hart Lane.
On leaving White Hart Lane for the last time, brought about by a disagreement with the board, he was said to have remarked: "There used to be a football club over there" (actually a misattribution – it was written by journalist Ken Jones who mentioned to Burkinshaw as he was leaving the club the Frank Sinatra's song "There Used to Be a Ballpark", said to be about the demolition of Ebbets Field, and Burkinshaw nodded in agreement.
Burkinshaw took charge of big-spending Malaysian state team Pahang between late April and July 1991, leading them to the top of the league table before departing for Swindon Town.
[8] He was later Director of Football at Aberdeen[9] before briefly taking charge as caretaker-manager at Pittodrie when Roy Aitken was sacked in 1997, he left when Alex Miller was appointed as the club's new manager.