Burton: 'I need to be playing matches'

RELEASED GOALKEEPER DECIDES TIME IS RIGHT TO LEAVE ARGYLE

- CHRIS ERRINGTON

GOALKEEPER Callum Burton has had the taste of promotion from League One into the Championship with Plymouth Argyle and wants to experience that again at his next club after being released by the Pilgrims.

The 27-year-old played a vital role in Argyle’s 2022/23 League One title success, stepping into the side when the highly-rated Michael Cooper suffered a serious knee injury early that February and playing to a high level over the remaining games of the campaign.

That included getting to the Papa John’s Trophy final at Wembley, with Burton making three saves in the penalty shoot-out success against Cheltenham Town in the semi-final at Home Park.

However , despite those achievements, Burton found himself as the third choice ‘keeper at Argyle for much of the season just finished, behind Cooper, when he was fit and available, and Conor Hazard, who was signed from Celtic for £150,000 last summer.

Burton played just twice, in Carabao Cup home ties against Leyton Orient and Crystal Palace last August, and he has talked about his hopes for the next stage of his career in an interview with Herald Sport.

He said: “I want to play as high as I can. I came to Argyle with the hope I could do that, and being part of the promotion team gave me a taste for it and it hasn’t worked out how I would have hoped. 

“So I want to be a number one at a team and do exactly the same as I did last season with Argyle and try to get another club from League One into the Championship.

“That’s the aim. After having the taste of that, you want more and more. You want to have more success and seeing the Championship this season it’s a level I think I can play at.