Having failed to make the grade in his native Sheffield – or, on trial, in nearby Rotherham – Ben Burley passed inspection at his Dell trial and was duly signed. A trustful left-winger, he spent most of 1933-34 assisting the Reserves. His first-team breakthrough came in the last two League games of that season, but he thereupon moved to First Division Grimsby.  Having played in more than half of their League games in 1934-35, he then went on a downward slide, via Second Division Norwich and Third North Darlington, to Southern League Chelmsford.

Following which, he had an eventful war, guesting widely either side of signing for QPR, with whom he would get plenty of war-time football but nothing in peace-time. He was among the early recruits to the FA’s post-war coaching drive and was soon using that qualification in Holland. Before long, though, he was back in East Anglia, initially serving Chelmsford but later running a post office.