Burns was a product of the
Chester youth policy and broke into the first-team in the closing stages of the
1976–77 season, making his debut in a 2–1 defeat to
Chesterfield on 23 April 1977 in the number 11 shirt. The campaign ended with Burns on target against
Port Vale in the final of the
Debenhams Cup, helping Chester to a 4–3 aggregate victory. Despite this early success, Burns struggled to establish himself in the Chester first-team ranks and had to wait until
1980–81 before he made more than 10 league appearances in a season. His most productive season was
1981–82 when he played 32 games at either
full back or on the
left wing. However, at the end of the season Burns dropped out of
The Football League and was signed by former teammate
John Cottam at
Scarborough. Burns spent one season playing for the Seadogs in the
Alliance Premier League, making 20 appearances as Scarborough finished
ninth in the table. ==Honours==