Graham Burke

Graham Burke

Burke in 2011
Personal information
Full name	Graham Dylan Burke [1]
Date of birth	(1993-09-21) 21 September 1993 (age 31) [1]
Place of birth	Dublin, Ireland
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) [2]
Position(s)	Forward
Team information
Current team	Shamrock Rovers
Number	10
Youth career
	Belvedere [3]
2010–2011	Aston Villa
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2011–2015	Aston Villa	0	(0)
2013	→ Shrewsbury Town (loan)	3	(0)
2015	→ Notts County (loan)	7	(1)
2015–2017	Notts County	36	(2)
2017–2018	Shamrock Rovers	41	(18)
2018–2021	Preston North End	12	(1)
2019	→ Gillingham (loan)	12	(1)
2019–2021	→ Shamrock Rovers (loan)	42	(18)
2021–	Shamrock Rovers	94	(31)
International career‡
	Republic of Ireland U17
2011	Republic of Ireland U19	3	(0)
2013	Republic of Ireland U21	2	(0)
2018	Republic of Ireland	3	(1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 5 January 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 09:15, 27 September 2021 (UTC)

Graham Dylan Burke (born 21 September 1993) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a forward for Shamrock Rovers. Burke has represented the Republic of Ireland at senior level.

Club career

Aston Villa

Burke was born in Dublin. ^[1] He was first called up to a first-team matchday squad for Aston Villa's 2–0 home defeat against Bolton Wanderers in the third round of the League Cup on 20 September 2011, remaining an unused substitute. ^[4] On 18 December he was included in the squad for the first time in the Premier League, again unused in a loss by the same score to Liverpool at Villa Park. ^[5]

He made his senior debut as a 76th-minute substitute for Chris Herd in Villa's 3–0 home win over Tranmere Rovers in the second round of the League Cup on 28 August 2012. ^[6] Burke was the joint top scorer in the 2012–13 NextGen Series under-19 club tournament, scoring both of Aston Villa's goals in the final which they won. ^[7]

Loans to Shrewsbury Town and Notts County

Burke joined League One club Shrewsbury Town on a half-season loan on 8 August 2013, ^[8] and made his Shrewsbury debut in a 3–0 defeat at Leyton Orient two days later. ^[9] He scored his first senior goal in a 4–1 defeat to Oldham Athletic in the Football League Trophy, ^[10] however Shrewsbury elected to end his loan spell early in October 2013. ^[11]

Burke joined Notts County of the same league on an emergency loan on 26 March 2015 until the end of the season. ^[12] Despite not scoring in his first six matches for the club Burke did make two assists in an important 2–1 win against Doncaster Rovers in the penultimate match of the season on 25 April, keeping County just above the relegation zone. ^[13] Eight days later in the final game of the season, he scored his first league goal, opening the scoring away to Gillingham, but three late goals by the hosts relegated County to League Two. ^[14]

Shamrock Rovers

On 15 February 2017, Burke signed for his hometown club Shamrock Rovers, being described by manager Stephen Bradley as an "exciting talent". ^[15] He made his debut for the club in a 2–1 defeat to Dundalk on 24 February 2017, scoring his side's only goal before being sent off two minutes later after receiving a straight red card following a foul on Dundalk player Jamie McGrath. ^[16]

In March 2018, Burke scored four goals in one game against Derry City to become the first Rovers player in over 25 years to achieve such a feat and was later named SSE Airtricity/Soccer Writers' Association of Ireland Player of the month for March. ^[17]

Preston North End

Burke signed for Championship club Preston North End on 13 June 2018 on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee. ^[18] Burke joined Aston Villa academy peers Callum Robinson and Daniel Johnson at the club.

Loan to Gillingham

On 31 January 2019, he joined Gillingham on loan. ^[19]

Return to Shamrock Rovers

On 31 July 2019, Burke re-joined Shamrock Rovers on a one-year loan. ^[20] In February 2020 Burke scored five goals against Cork City ^[21] It was announced on 1 August 2020 that Burke's loan had been extended until the summer of 2021. ^[22] On 15 March 2021, Shamrock Rovers announced that Burke had signed a pre-contract with the club, with a 3 year permanent contract at the club set to begin on 30 June 2021, when his loan move from Preston North End officially ended. ^[23] He scored a penalty against ŠK Slovan Bratislava in UEFA Champions League first qualifying round, but Rovers were eliminated 3-2 on aggregate. ^[24]

European goals

Burke is Rovers’ all-time top goalscorer in European competition. ^[25]

During the 2017–18 UEFA Europa League Burke scored three times against Stjarnan and FK Mladá Boleslav. ^[26]

^[27]

In the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League he scored his 4th goal against Ilves (football). ^[28]

In a 2021–22 UEFA Champions League qualifier against ŠK Slovan Bratislava he netted his fifth goal in the Hoops. ^[29]

In a 2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League qualifier against FC Flora he netted his sixth goal in the Hoops. ^[30]

In a 2022–23 UEFA Europa League qualifier against KF Shkupi he netted his seventh. ^[31]

In a 2023–24 UEFA Champions League qualifier against Breiðablik he netted his eighth. ^[32]

International career

Burke has represented the Republic of Ireland from under-17 to under-21 level. In May 2018, Burke received his first call-up to the senior team for a trio of friendlies during May/June 2018. ^[33] He made a substitute appearance for a Republic of Ireland XI against Celtic in Scott Brown's testimonial match on 20 May 2018. On 28 May 2018, Burke made his full senior international debut for the Republic of Ireland national team in a friendly game against France at the Stade De France when he came on in the 70th minute as a substitute. ^[34]

Burke scored his first international goal for the Republic of Ireland on 2 June 2018 as Ireland beat the United States 2–1 in Dublin. In doing so, he became the first home-based Irish international goalscorer since April 1978 when Ray Treacy, also of Shamrock Rovers, scored for the Republic of Ireland against Turkey. ^[35]

His third cap came in a friendly in Poland on 11 September 2018. ^[36]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played on 24 October 2024 ^{[37] [38]}

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup [a]		League cup [b]		Europe		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Aston Villa	2011–12 [39]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		—		0	0
	2012–13 [40]		0	0	0	0	2	0	—		—		2	0
	2013–14 [41]		0	0	0	0	—		—		—		0	0
	2014–15 [42]		0	0	0	0	0	0	—		—		0	0
	Total		0	0	0	0	2	0	—		—		2	0
Shrewsbury Town (loan)	2013–14 [41]	EFL League One	3	0	—		—		—		1 [c]	1	4	1
Notts County (loan)	2014–15 [42]	EFL League One	7	1	—		—		—		—		7	1
Notts County	2015–16 [43]	EFL League Two	31	2	0	0	1	1	—		2 [c]	0	34	3
	2016–17 [43]		5	0	2	0	1	0	—		3 [c]	1	11	1
	Total		43	3	2	0	2	1	—		5	1	52	5
Shamrock Rovers	2017 [44] [45]	LOI Premier Division	19	5	2	2	2	0	4 [d]	3	0 [e]	0	27	10
	2018 [44]		22	13	—		—		—		0 [e]	0	22	13
	Total		41	18	2	2	2	0	4	3	0	0	49	23
Preston North End	2018–19 [46]	EFL Championship	12	1	1	0	2	1	—		—		15	2
Gillingham (loan)	2018–19 [46]	EFL League One	12	1	—		—		—		—		12	1
Shamrock Rovers (loan)	2019 [47]	LOI Premier Division	10	3	5	1	—		0 [d]	0	—		15	4
	2020 [47]		14	8	4	1	—		2 [d]	1	—		20	10
	2021 [37]		18	7	—		—		—		1 [f]	0	19	7
	Total		42	18	9	2	—		2	1	1	0	54	21
Shamrock Rovers	2021 [37]	LOI Premier Division	10	4	2	0	—		6 [g]	2	—		18	6
	2022 [37]		26	11	1	0	—		7 [h]	1	1 [f]	0	35	12
	2023 [37]		31	12	1	0	—		3 [i]	1	1 [f]	0	36	13
	2024 [37]		25	4	0	0	—		6 [j]	2	0 [f]	0	31	6
	Total		92	31	4	0	—		22	6	2	0	120	37
Career total			245	72	17	4	8	2	28	10	9	2	307	90

1. Appearances in FA Cup and FAI Cup
2. Appearances in EFL Cup and League of Ireland Cup
3. Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
4. Appearances in UEFA Europa League
5. Appearances in Leinster Senior Cup
6. Appearances in President of Ireland's Cup
7. Two appearances, one goal in UEFA Champions League; four appearances, one goal in UEFA Europa Conference League
8. Two appearances in UEFA Champions League; two appearances, one goal in UEFA Europa League; three appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
9. Two appearances, one goal in UEFA Champions League; one appearance in UEFA Europa Conference League
10. One appearance in UEFA Champions League; four appearances, one goal in UEFA Europa League; one appearance, one goal in UEFA Conference League

International

As of match played 11 September 2018 ^[48]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Republic of Ireland	2018	3	1
Total		3	1

As of match played 11 September 2018 ^[48]

Scores and results list the Republic of Ireland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Burke goal.

List of international goals scored by Graham Burke

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition	Ref.
1	2 June 2018	Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland	United States	1–1	2–1	Friendly	[35]

Honours

Aston Villa Under-19s

• NextGen Series: 2012–13

Shamrock Rovers

• League of Ireland Premier Division: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
• FAI Cup: 2019
• President of Ireland's Cup: 2022, 2024

Individual

• NextGen Series top scorer: 2012–13

References

1. "Graham Burke". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
2. "Graham Burke". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
3. "Past Belvo Players". Belvedere F.C. Archived from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
4. "Aston Villa 0–2 Bolton". BBC Sport. 22 September 2011. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
5. McKenna, Chris (18 December 2011). "Aston Villa 0–2 Liverpool". BBC Sport. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
6. "Aston Villa 3–0 Tranmere". BBC Sport. 28 August 2012. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
7. "Match Report". NextGen Series. Archived from the original on 4 April 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
8. "Aston Villa's Graham Burke joins Shrewsbury Town on loan". BBC Sport. 8 August 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
9. "Leyton Orient 3–0 Shrewsbury". BBC Sport. 10 August 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
10. "Town 1 Oldham Athletic 4". Shrewsweb. 3 September 2013. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
11. "Shrewsbury Town: Loans ended for Curtis Main and Graham Burke". BBC Sport. 3 October 2013. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
12. "Graham Burke joins Notts County on loan". Birmingham Mail. 27 March 2015. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
13. "Graham Burke hoping to copy Notts County favourite Jack Grealish". Nottingham Post. Archived from the original on 25 May 2015. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
14. "Gillingham 3–1 Notts County". BBC Sport. 3 May 2015. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
15. "Two new signings". Shamrock Rovers F.C. 15 February 2017. Archived from the original on 16 February 2017. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
16. Aidan Fitzmaurice (24 February 2017). "Champions Dundalk make serious statement of intent with victory over Shamrock Rovers". Irish Independent. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
17. "Graham Burke named player of the month".
18. "Preston North End complete signing of Shamrock Rovers' Graham Burke". Preston North End F.C. 13 June 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
19. "Gillingham: Ricky Holmes, Graham Burke, Tahvon Campbell and Leonardo da Silva Lopes sign". BBC Sport. 31 January 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
20. "Shamrock Rovers re-sign striker Graham Burke from Preston". Irish Examiner. 31 July 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
21. Buttner, Paul (21 February 2020). "Five-star Burke leads Rovers to Cork thrashing". RTÉ.ie .
22. "Graham Burke Extends Stay at Shamrock Rovers".
23. "Graham Burke signs new three-year deal with Shamrock Rovers". The Irish Times .
24. Vladimir Weiss strike breaks Shamrock Rovers hearts in Champions League clash
25. "League Report: Derry City 2 - 4 Shamrock Rovers".
26. "Shamrock Rovers-Stjarnan 2018 History | UEFA Europa League". UEFA.com.
27. "Shamrock Rovers-Mladá Boleslav 2018 History | UEFA Europa League". UEFA.com.
28. "Shamrock Rovers-Ilves 2021 History | UEFA Europa League".
29. "Shamrock Rovers-Slovan Bratislava | UEFA Champions League".
30. "Flora-Shamrock Rovers | UEFA Europa Conference League".
31. "Shamrock Rovers-Shkupi: UEFA Champions League 2023/24 Qualif. 1".
32. "Breidablik-Shamrock Rovers: UEFA Champions League 2023/24 Qualif. 1".
33. Blake, Ben (10 May 2018). "'He has nice ability' - O'Neill urges League of Ireland's top scorer to grab chance after first call-up". The42.
34. "France 2 Republic of Ireland 0". BBC Sport. 28 May 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
35. "Republic of Ireland 2–1 USA". BBC Sport. 2 June 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
36. "Poland 1 - 1 Republic of Ireland | 2018 - Senior Mens Friendlies | 2024398 | Football Association of Ireland".
37. "Republic of Ireland - G. Burke - Profile with news, career statistics and history". Soccerway.
38. Newberry, Niall (23 July 2023). "Ten-man Dundalk FC have dumped Shamrock Rovers out of the Sports Direct FAI Cup". Dundalk Democrat. Oriel Park: Iconic Media. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
39. "Games played by Graeme Burke in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
40. "Games played by Graeme Burke in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
41. "Games played by Graeme Burke in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
42. "Games played by Graeme Burke in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
43. "Games played by Graeme Burke in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
44. "G. Burke: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
45. For FAI Cup first round: "Shamrock Rovers 1–0 Glenville". Extratime.ie. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
    For FAI Cup second round: "Shelbourne 0–3 Shamrock Rovers". Extratime.ie. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
46. "Games played by Graeme Burke in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
47. "Player Profile: Graham Burke". extratime.ie. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
48. "Burke, Graham". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 26 August 2018.

External links

• Graham Burke profile Archived 10 July 2018 at the Wayback Machine at the Preston North End F.C. website
• Graham Burke at Soccerbase