| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Clarence Bourton | ||
| Date of birth | 30 September 1908 | ||
| Place of birth | Bristol, England | ||
| Date of death | 1981 (aged 72–73) | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1928 | Bristol City | ||
| 1928–1931 | Blackburn Rovers | ||
| 1931–1937 | Coventry City | 228 | (171) |
| 1937– | Bristol City | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Clarence "Clarrie" Bourton (30 September 1908 – 1981) was an English footballer, who played for Bristol City, Blackburn Rovers and Coventry City.
Bourton made his league debut as a 19-year old for Bristol City in April 1928 and scored one goal in four appearances at the tail-end of the 1927–28 season. That summer the FA Cup holders Blackburn Rovers signed Burton. He scored on his debut in a 1–1 home draw with Bury and scored six goals in his first four games, including all four in a 4–1 win at Manchester United. That first season he netted 15 goals in 34 league and cup goals as Rovers finished seventh in the First Division, their best position since the First World War. Clarrie was out of the first team after one game the following season; Les Bruton (later to become trainer at Highfield Road) took the No.9 shirt.
Bourton returned on Christmas Day 1929 and scored in a 5–3 home win over Sunderland and was on fire for the rest of the season, scoring 23 goals in 26 games, helping Rovers to a sixth placed finish. He scored four goals in a single game again, this time against Sheffield United in a 7–5 win at Bramall Lane. Clarrie's final season at Ewood Park, 1930–31, saw him out of the first team after only four goals in the first 11 games, but he did appear in the same team as a young Jesse Carver (who later managed City in the 1950s).
In April 1931, Harry Storer became Coventry City's manager. Storer had spotted Bourton while he was playing in Lancashire and when Storer became City manager he signed Burton for £750. Clarrie did not score in the first two games of the 1931–32 season . He netted 49 league goals and one FA Cup goal to be crowned as the Football League's leading scorer.
In Bourton's six seasons at Highfield Road, City scored 577 League goals and he weighed in with 173 of them in just 228 games – an amazing record that as of 2011 hasn't been challenged by any other Coventry player.[1]