Eric Probert passes away

Last updated : 13 September 2004 By Tony Scholes

Probert, a midfielder, wore the number eight shirt in that team and was the youngest player at just 16 when we lifted the trophy after beating Coventry in the final.

The strong tackling midfielder made his reserve team debut at just 15 and in November 1968 whilst still 16 was named in the first team for the first time against Arsenal at Turf Moor.

Four months later he scored his first Burnley goal in a 2-2 home draw against Spurs and became the youngest player ever to score a goal at the top level for the Clarets, a record that stands to this day.

In the relegation season of 1970/71 he was the leading goalscorer, albeit with just five goals, and made a total of 30 league appearances during the season. In the following season he only won a place in the last three months but played in all of the last fourteen games.


They proved to be his last starts for the club and as we went on to win promotion in some style in 1972/73 he made just one substitute appearance for us, coming on for Keith Newton in a 4-0 win against Portsmouth.

He moved to Notts County at the end of that season for £30,000 and he was a regular there for much of the next four years until injury cost him his place. He then signed for Darlington before moving on to his last club Rochdale. He didn’t make an appearance for them and he left the game at the age of 28.


Eric Probert looked as though he was going to be a top player but somehow it didn’t quite happen for him.


One of his former youth team colleagues said of him recently, “He was a smashing lad who would have tackled concrete walls for Burnley FC and was the kind of bloke who if he won a million he'd straightaway give it away he was so generous.”

He was hit by ill health and has now lost his life at the young age of 52. Clarets Mad’s thoughts are very much with Eric’s family and friends at this very sad time for them.