Chaplin and Burgess: Their Path to the Premier League

Ipswich Town’s recent single-goal defeat in the Premier League was perceived as both cruel and disheartening. However, a notable aspect was the performance of Town players whose professional journeys began in the Football League. A prime illustration of this was centre-back Cameron Burgess, who provided an assist for forward Conor Chaplin, enabling him to score the opening goal against Bournemouth on Sunday. This goal means Chaplin is now among a select group of players to have scored in each of the top four divisions of the English football pyramid. The attacking midfielder, born in Worthing, is finally showcasing his capabilities on the highest stage, having previously accumulated 94 league goals across 341 appearances in the EFL. Chaplin made his breakthrough at League Two level with Portsmouth in the 2014-15 season, a period when “Pompey” were recovering from a rapid descent through the divisions. He subsequently made over 100 appearances at League One and Two levels on the south coast, followed by brief periods at Coventry (then in League One) and Barnsley in the Championship. A return to the third tier with Town ultimately led to Chaplin’s Premier League debut, thanks to the club’s consecutive promotions. Regarding Cameron Burgess, who was named Ipswich’s player of the match against the Cherries, his career trajectory to the top tier was considerably more indirect. He started in the Championship with Fulham, also in the 2014-15 season, making his first league appearance against Ipswich. A combination of loan spells and transfers eventually saw the Australia international playing for League Two Salford in the 2019-20 season. Five seasons later, after stints at Accrington and then at Town, Burgess is now featuring – and performing impressively – in the Premier League. While considerable expectations are placed on Kieran McKenna’s summer acquisitions, it is commendable that opportunities are being afforded to players like Chaplin and Burgess, who have earned their Premier League playing time through a more extended and challenging career progression.