I earned £55 a week at Asda – now I’m lining up for Newcastle against Man Utd in the Carabao Cup final
DAN BURN once worked at Asda, banked £60-a-week at Darlington and even when he became a professional, was given the boot by Fulham.
So the Newcastle defender, who finally signed for his boyhood club aged 29, could have been forgiven for getting a bit carried away ahead of the Carabao Cup final against Manchester United.
Yet along with other senior players at the club, Burn decided against getting suited and booted for Wembley on Sunday, believing it would send out completely the wrong message.
Along with Jamaal Lascelles, Matt Ritchie, Callum Wilson and Kieran Trippier, Burn is part of Newcastle’s leadership group.
He said: “We opted against suits, in the end. We thought it would be better to keep it normal and not have to think about having to get measured up and do all that sort of stuff.
“We had spoken about it in the leadership group. Everyone gave their opinion and we sort of more or less came up with the decision.
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“I don’t think there is a right or wrong way. It might not make any difference at all but mentality-wise, I wanted to feel like we were not going for a day out.
“We are going to win. I don’t want it as an occasion where we feel we are happy just to get to the final.
“Obviously there are certain things you have to do in the build-up for the final, like speaking to the media, like I am here now. But you have to keep it as normal as possible in the way we have attacked every game this season.”
Burn, 30, is one of the few players who have featured at Wembley before, having helped Yeovil win the 2013 League One play-off final.
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A central defender currently playing at left-back, he scored his first goal for Newcastle in the 2-0 Carabao Cup quarter-final win over Leicester and then proceeded to deliver a bizarre dance in front of the TV cameras in the dressing room.
But when you look at his journey, no wonder he went slightly bonkers for a few seconds.
He said: “I have had a roller-coaster career, ups and downs. It has not been plain sailing but you use those experiences to give you a bit more drive. You want to prove people wrong.
“I was released from Newcastle when I was young. I was an 11-year-old kid who thought he was going to be the next Alan Shearer and the best in the world.
“So to get that knock as a kid, in that environment at school where everyone knew you were not at Newcastle anymore, had a big effect on me.
“In my teens, I played for Blyth Spartans. I also signed for New Hartley on a Saturday and even then, I was not really getting a kick.
“I needed money to go and do things with my mates like the cinema so I worked at Asda, earning £9-something an hour.
“When I went to Darlington, I was on £55 a week - and it cost me £80 a week in petrol so I was in debt to my parents for a long time.
“I crammed three or four of the lads in the car so I could take £20 quid off them just so it could help.
“When I went to Fulham, I felt as though the lads who had been there since the academy had been given everything. I had grafted and felt that helped.
“Even when I was released by Fulham, there were not a lot of clubs interested. Only Wigan gave me a contract.”
Burn’s journey then took him to Brighton. Once manager Howe had millions of pounds burning a hole in his pocket after the Saudi-led takeover of Newcastle, the decision to sign Burn for £13million in January 2022 was a surprise, but a good piece of business.
Burn, a thoroughly-likeable individual, added: “I have never, ever thought I would be in this position. Once the takeover happened, I thought the chances of me playing for Newcastle were done.
“But football works in strange ways and we have come a long way in a short space of time.
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“We have a lot of momentum and belief but we must not get complacent. I would like this to be a stepping stone towards bigger things.
“This is my first major final and the first win will be huge for the club. But I do not want it to be a one-off. I want it to be a catalyst for more.”