David May

Date and Place of Birth 24th June 1970 - OLDHAM   Transfers to and from Burnley from MANCHESTER UNITED - 13th August 2003 released - 1st June 2004   First and Last Burnley Games WEST BROMWICH ALBION (a) - 16th August 2003   SUNDERLAND (h) - 9th May 2004   Other Clubs BLACKBURN ROVERS, MANCHESTER UNITED, HUDDERSFIELD TOWN (loan)

Burnley Career Stats

Profile by Tony Scholes

David May's one season at Burnley proved to be his last in professional football as he struggled in a Burnley side that just about stayed in the second tier after a difficult season.

He was signed in the week following the opening day defeat at home to Crystal Palace, when we fielded Graham Branch and Arthur Gnohere in the central defensive positions, and made his debut in front of the Sky cameras in a 4-1 defeat at West Brom.

The 33-year-old 'Daisy' May had arrived on a free transfer having been released by Manchester United, and such was his CV that it looked just the signing that would tighten up a defence that had been dire in the previous season.

That CV showed he'd won honours at both his previous clubs, the first of which were our local rivals Blackburn Rovers. Oldham born, he joined Blackburn as an apprentice and progressed through to the first team. He was a member of the side that won promotion to the new Premier League in 1992 via the play offs.

He was a regular in the Blackburn side for the next two seasons in the top flight but after contract talks broke down he jumped ship in the summer of 1994. They'd finished runners up in that last 1993/94 season and May moved to the Champions Manchester United in a £1.2 million deal.

With Steve Bruce and Gary Pallister forming a formidable defensive partnership he was unable to get a place in his favoured position and was used mainly as a right back in his first season. But he lost that place too with the emergence of Gary Neville and it was only towards the end of the 1995/96 season that he won a place as Bruce's time came to an end.

The 1996/97 season proved to be his best at Old Trafford. He played 40 games that season and won himself a place in the England squad although he never went on to win a cap.

Injuries then took their toll and he hardly played in the next two seasons during which United brought in new defenders Henning Berg and Jaap Stam. Fit again he played some games towards the end of the 1998/99 season including the FA Cup Final, his second appearance in the Final.

But he missed out on the Champions League Final although he was the player leading the celebrations at the end which led to him being nicknamed 'David May Superstar' by the United fans.

He joined Huddersfield on loan in the 1999/2000, by then managed by Bruce, but an injury in his first game saw him return to Old Trafford where he remained until the end of the 2002/03 season.

During his nine years with the club they won the Premier League title six times, but he played so few games that he only won medals in two of those seasons. He averaged less than 10 games per season during his time at Old Trafford.

That's when Stan Ternent moved in to sign him, but at times he struggled, particularly against any pace, and you sensed his time was up during a 4-0 defeat at Coventry where his lack of pace cost us dearly that afternoon.

He was released at the end of that season and signed for Bacup Borough before hanging his boots up.

Since ending his playing career he's been involved in the wine industry and now works as a pundit on MUTV.

David May, in a 2007 poll in The Times was voted 43^rd in the top fifty worst ever Premier League footballers, stuck between Larry Lloyd and Sergei Rebrov. The list, hardly surprisingly, was headed by Ali Dia of Southampton.

Thankfully David May's season at Turf Moor didn't end in relegation. Although he struggled at times, he did have some good games and scored four goals. Two of those goals were vital. He scored in the 2-1 win at Stoke and at Reading netted a late equaliser as we drew 2-2.