Introduction
Reece Frederick James Burke (born 2 September 1996) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for Wigan Athletic on loan from West Ham United. He has also played for Bradford City where he was the player of the season for the 2015-16 season. Internationally he has played for the England Under-18 team, England Under-19 team and England Under-20 team. Burke mainly plays centre back, he can also play right back.
Career
West Ham United
Burke joined the West Ham junior team age nine and played youth team football. He made his official debut on 5 January 2014 for West Ham against Nottingham Forest at The City Ground in the FA Cup. Forest won the game 5–0. Burke's first goal for the club came in a pre-season friendly at the Boleyn Ground against Sampdoria. He scored the winning goal in the 90th minute following a cross from fellow youth graduate Elliot Lee's cross.Burke then played the full 120 minutes against Sheffield United in the League Cup second round, with West Ham being eliminated in a penalty shootout. Burke made his Premier League debut on 25 April 2015 in a 0–0 away draw against Queens Park Rangers.
Loan to Bradford City
On 20 August 2015, Burke signed for League One side Bradford City on a one-month loan. On 5 September, Burke scored his first Bradford City and first senior goal in a 2-1 away win against Oldham Athletic. His loan was extended on 18 September for a further month and for a further month in October. In November he returned briefly to West Ham for treatment on a knee injury but returned to Bradford where his loan was extended until 2 January 2016. On 26 April 2016, Burke won a total of seven awards at Bradford City's end of season awards, including the Player of the Year award.
Loan to Wigan Athletic
Having already appeared for West Ham in their short-lived Europa League campaign at the beginning of the 2016-17 season, on 30 August 2016, Burke signed on loan for Championship team, Wigan Athletic for the remainder of the season. He scored his first goal for Wigan in a 2-1 win over Huddersfield Town on 28 November 2016.
Career statistics
- As of match played 10 December 2016
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| West Ham United | 2013–14 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2014–15 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2015–16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2016–17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 12 | 0 | |
| Bradford City (loan) | 2015–16 | 34 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 2 |
| Wigan Athletic (loan) | 2016–17 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 |
| Career total | 47 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 56 | 3 | |
Honours
Individual
- West Ham United Young Player of the Year: 2014–15
- Bradford City Player of the Year: 2015-2016