David Burnside, the former England youth coach who helped groom a host of Bristol City youngsters, has died suddenly at the age of 69.

The native Bristolian still lived in the city but was hoping for a 'transfer' with a difference in the coming months after being nominated by the local United Kingdom Independent Party association to fight a seat at the next General Election.

He had a meeting in London as recently on Friday when he hoped to be ratified by national UKIP officials as the man to campaign on their behalf.

"He was very excited by his political challenges, and, in case he became an MP, wanted me to proceed as quickly as possible with the ghost-writing I was doing for his autobiography," said Midlands-based journalist David Instone.

"He knew his time would become very precious if he were fortunate enough to be elected and, as a footballer-turned-MP, he would have been an extremely rare breed."

It is from more than half a century in the game, though, that Burnside is best known.

He moved to Bristol City on a four-year contract as head of youth development in 1997 after spending 17 years with the FA and, with Tony Fawthrop, had a spell as Robins joint caretaker manager following the departure of Tony Pulis.

In that time, the duo led the club to the final of the Auto Windscreens Shield.

Burnside stayed on as technical adviser at the club he had supported as a boy and subsequently had a short spell with Bobby Gould as football coordinator of Cheltenham Town before working for Team Bath.

As a player, he is best known at West Bromwich Albion, for whom he scored 42 goals in 135 games as a gifted inside-forward.

He had gone against the wishes of his parents by joining them rather than wait for an opening to arise at his first club, Bristol City, and made national headlines with a half-time ball-juggling act on the pitch during a televised friendly to mark the opening of the Baggies' floodlights. He was 17 and the crowd was just under 53,000.

Burnside won England under-23 recognition and subsequently played for Southampton, Crystal Palace, Wolves, Plymouth and Colchester before dropping into non-League with Bridgwater Town and Taunton Town.

At the FA, he worked closely with Bobby Robson, a close friend from his Albion days.