Career
He played as a forward. Blackpool-born Durie began his professional career with his hometown club in 1952. He was signed as a deputy to Allan Brown, but eventually succeeded him.
He made his Football League debut on 3 March 1953 in a single-goal victory at Burnley.
He made six more league appearances that season, and scored one goal in a 5–1 defeat at Middlesbrough on 11 April. In 1953-1954, Durie made three league appearances.
He again scored one goal, in a 4–2 victory over local rivals Preston North End at Bloomfield Road on 31 March 1954. In 1955-1956, with Allan Brown out through injury, Durie made fifteen league appearances, scoring fourteen goals.
He also made his debut, against Manchester City on 3 January 1956.
The match was abandoned after 50 minutes due to fog, however. Durie was the club"s second-top scorer behind Jackie Mudie in 1956-1957, with 22 goals in all competitions to his name. He scored a hat-trick in the second league game of the season, a 3–2 victory at Everton in front of 55,000 spectators.
He scored again in the fifth round, with Blackpool eventually being eliminated after a sixth-round replay.
Durie scored the second hat-trick of his career in a 4–1 victory over Burnley in a league fixture on 10 October 1959. He scored another hat-trick later that season in an third-round tie at home to Mansfield Town.
His treble were the only goals of the game. In 1960-1961, Durie scored his first goal in the brand-new League Cup competition.
lieutenant came in a second-round replay at home to Leeds United, but Leeds progressed with a 3–1 scoreline.
Although he remained a regular in the team, Durie"s goals dried up after manager Ron Suart moved him back in the formation. Durie"s final appearance for Blackpool occurred on 28 December 1964, in a single-goal league defeat at Chelsea. He had scored in the reverse fixture two days earlier, although Blackpool lost 5–1 in front of their own fans.
He went on to play for Chester City for three years, before finishing his career back on the Fylde Coast with Fleetwood Town.
Durie was a Methodist Sunday School teacher during his playing days. His religious beliefs meant he would not play on Christian holidays.
One such example was the Blackpool v. Preston North End West Lancashire derby on 4 April 1958, which happened to be Good Friday.