Former Chelsea Midfielder Ian Britton Dies, Aged 61

Ian Britton, a midfielder who played for Chelsea and Burnley during his football career, has passed away at the age of 61.

Britton played for the London club 289 times and scored 34 goals during a 10-year stretch at Stamford Bridge that spanned from 1972 until 1982. He went on to play for Dundee United and Arbroath briefly spending three years at Blackpool. He then moved to Division Four and plied his trade with struggling Burnley.

His time with Burnley was a somewhat successful one, helping to save the club from relegation when he scored the winning goal against Leyton Orient, stopping the Lancashire side from slipping into the Football Conference. 1987 was the first season when teams could be promoted from the Conference into Division Four, meaning that the goal saved Burnley from becoming the first ever club to get relegated out of the Football League.

His spell at Chelsea also had some good moments, with a highlight being his appearance in a Blues side that beat the reigning European champions Liverpool by four goals to two in an FA Cup third round tie in 1978.