We're just a small town in Lancashire ... with a Premier League football team
AFTER the moment of euphoria when the final whistle went at Wembley on Monday, a few other thoughts, or memories rather, flitted quickly into my mind.
The first was my dad telling me "a season in the second division will do them good" as we left Turf Moor, relegated from the top flight in 1976, neither of us realising exactly how long it would be before the club graced it again.
Next came the two goals, scored by Neil Grewcock and Ian Britton on that crucial day in May 1987, which kept Burnley in the league and probably in existence. I was in the press box for the Orient Game, having started work for our sister paper the Evening Courier a bit less than a year earlier.
I also thought of Brian Miller and Jimmy Mullen, who led Burnley out at the then twin towers in 1988 (Sherpa Van Final) and 1994 (League One play-off) which were both key staging points in the long road back from oblivion.
Mullen, of course, had given the club back its belief in the fantastic 1991-92 season which saw the team promoted from the old fourth division after seven years. He also gave us that great cup day out at Derby the same year. We lost, but that wasn't what mattered.
Stan Ternent turned the ship around when it was in danger of sinking again a decade ago and Steve Cotterill laid some of the foundations Owen Coyle has built on.
Coyle's achievement is colossal. I can say at this point that I thought I would never see Burnley play top flight football again - save for a coach of this ability. And believe me, they are rare.
Several times this season I have made the comparison between Jimmy Adamson's early to mid 70s side and Coyle's 2008-2009 vintage, and that's a compliment to both the sets of players at either end (so far) of by Burnley watching career.
The encouragement to play attacking football allows players like Robbie Blake, Wade Elliott, whose superb strike proved crucial, and Chris Eagles to demonstrate their skills, even if it doesn't always come off. And Graham Alexander is definitely the new Keith Newton (quality pros even in their late 30s).
It has always been entertaining football to watch. At the end of the day that is what we pay for, to watch players exercise their skills to their best ability, and be entertained. It works too. We were better than Sheffield United on Monday, as we had been at Turf Moor in April, and this was rewarded.
I hope that under his managership these attributes remain, even though the Premier League is just about the hardest top flight in the world to play in.
Finally, the Blades may have felt it would have been fitting if they had been promoted following the circumstances of their acrimonious departure from the Premiership on the final day of 2006-2007.
However, well-known in Burnley circles but unknown outside of them until now is the fact that season 2009-2010 marks 50 years since the Clarets’ second title win.
Achieving that landmark again is virtually impossible now for clubs of Burnley’s size and resources but back then the three best teams in the land were Burnley, Wolves and Spurs.
And I think its fitting that all three will face each other again next season in top flight competition, half a century on. Premiership Burnley will be there at the party!
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Weather for Halifax
Sunday 05 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 3 C to 5 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: West
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 0 C to 5 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: North
