History of Burnley F.C.

One of the earliest photographed Burnley sides, with the Lancashire Cup in the middle of the photo

On 18 May 1882, members of Burnley Rovers Rugby Club gathered at the Bull Hotel in Burnley to vote for a shift from rugby union to association football, since other sports clubs in the area had changed their codes to association football and more income could be generated by playing football.[1] A large majority voted in favour of change of sports. A short time later, the club secretary, George Waddington, met with his committee and put forward another proposal, to drop "Rovers" from the club's name, thereby "adopting the psychological high ground over many other local clubs by carrying the name of the town", which the committee members unanimously agreed on.[2]

On 10 August, Burnley Football Club played their first-ever match as an association football club against local team Burnley Wanderers, winning 4–0. The team played the match in a blue and white kit, the colours of the former rugby club, at their home ground Calder Vale, which was also adopted from the rugby club.[3] Burnley's first competitive game was in October 1882 against Astley Bridge in the Lancashire Cup, that game ending in an 8–0 defeat.[4] In February 1883, the club was invited by Burnley Cricket Club to move to a pitch adjacent to the cricket field at Turf Moor.[5] Both clubs have remained there since, and only Lancashire rivals Preston North End have continuously occupied the same ground for longer.[6]

That same year saw Burnley win their first silverware as an association football club. In January 1883, Dr Thomas Dean, Burnley's Medical Officer of Health, instigated a football tournament to raise funds for the town's proposed new hospital (the Victoria Hospital); a knockout competition between amateur clubs in the Burnley area, the final was played at Burnley's new home ground.[7] Burnley won the Dr Dean Trophy (a silver goblet) outright, and subsequently won the new Hospital Cup in 1884 and on multiple occasions in later years.[7]

By the end of 1883, the club turned professional and signed many Scottish players, who were, at the time, regarded as the best footballers.[8] As a result of turning professional, Burnley renounced joining the Football Association (FA) and its FA Cup, since the association refused to allow professional players.[9] In 1884, Burnley led a group of 35 other clubs in forming a breakaway, the British Football Association, to challenge the supremacy of the FA.[9][10] This threat of secession led to professionalism being permitted by an FA rule change on 20 July 1885, making the new body redundant.[10] Burnley's main rivals at this point were neighbours Padiham and the fiery matches between the two attracted up to 12,000 fans.[11]

Burnley made their first appearance in the FA Cup in 1885–86; however, rules of the FA prohibited most professionals from playing that year,[lower-alpha 1] so Burnley's reserve side were fielded and lost 11–0 to Darwen Old Wanderers.[13] A year later, on 13 October 1886, Turf Moor became the first professional ground to be visited by a member of the Royal Family, when Queen Victoria's grandson, Prince Albert Victor, attended a match between Burnley and Bolton Wanderers, after he opened the new Victoria Hospital in the town.[7][14] When it was decided to found the Football League for the 1888–89 season, Burnley were among the twelve founders of that competition, and one of the six clubs based in Lancashire.[15] Burnley's William Tait became the first player to score a hat-trick in league football in only the second match, when his three goals gave the team an away win against Bolton Wanderers.[16] The club eventually finished ninth in the first season of the league, but only one place from bottom in 1889–90, following a 17-game winless streak at the start of the season.[17] That season did present Burnley with their first Lancashire Cup, beating local rivals Blackburn Rovers 2–0 in the final.[18] Burnley were at this point also known as "Turfites", "Moorites" or "Royalites" as a result of the name of their ground and the royal connection.[19]

Burnley were relegated to the Second Division for the first time in 1896–97.[20] The team responded to this by winning the division the next season, losing only two of 30 matches before gaining promotion through a play-off series between four clubs, then known as test matches.[21] Burnley and First Division club Stoke both entered the last match, to be played between the two teams, needing a draw for promotion (or in Stoke's case to retain their First Division place). A 0–0 draw ensued, reportedly "The match without a shot at goal",[21] and the Football League immediately withdrew the test match system in favour of automatic promotion and relegation, after Burnley director and Football League Management Committee member Charles Sutcliffe had already made a proposal to discontinue test matches.[22] Ironically, the Football League decided to expand the First Division from 16 to 18 clubs after a motion by Burnley, meaning the other two teams (Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United) also went into the first tier.[23]

Burnley were relegated again in 1899–1900 and found themselves at the centre of a controversy when the club's goalkeeper, Jack Hillman, attempted to bribe the opponents, Nottingham Forest, in the last match of the season, resulting in his suspension for the whole of the following season. It was the earliest recorded case of match fixing in football.[24] During the first decade of the 20th century, Burnley continued to play in the Second Division, even finishing in bottom place in 1902–03 (but were re-elected).[25] Alarming performances on the field mixed with a considerable debt saw manager Ernest Mangnall leave the club for Manchester United in October 1903.[25] In 1907, 30-year-old Burnley supporter Harry Windle was invited onto the Burnley board to become a director. Two years later, he was elected chairman, and under his guidance Burnley's finances turned around.[26] The team reached the quarter-finals of the 1908–09 FA Cup, in which they were eliminated by Manchester United in a replay. In the original match, on a snowy Turf Moor pitch, Burnley had led 1–0, when the match was abandoned after 72 minutes.[27] In 1910, Mangnall's successor Spen Whittaker died, after he fell off a train.[28] Under new manager John Haworth, Burnley changed their colours from green to the claret and sky blue of Aston Villa, the then Football League champions, for the 1910–11 season, as Haworth and the Burnley committee believed it might bring a change of fortune.[29] The tides did indeed turn the following season, when only a loss in the last game of the season denied the club promotion.[30]

The FA Cup trophy is presented to Burnley captain Tommy Boyle by King George V in 1914

Burnley continued to improve, as in the 1912–13 season they were promoted to the First Division once more, as well as reaching the FA Cup semi-final, only to lose to Sunderland. The next season was one of consolidation in the top flight, but more importantly the first major honour, the FA Cup, was won, against fellow Lancastrians Liverpool in the final (1–0).[31] Centre forward Bert Freeman, whose father travelled from Australia to see his son play in the final,[32] scored the only goal, as Burnley became the first club to beat five First Division clubs in one cup season.[33] This was the last final to be played at Crystal Palace and King George V became the first reigning monarch to attend an FA Cup Final and to present the cup to the winning captain, in this case to Tommy Boyle.[33]

Team photograph of the Championship-winning side of the 1920–21 season

Burnley finished fourth in the First Division in 1914–15, before English football was suspended during wartime.[34] Upon resumption of full-time football in 1919–20, Burnley finished second in the First Division to West Bromwich Albion,[35] but this was not a peak, merely presaging Burnley's first ever First Division championship in 1920–21.[36] The team lost the opening three matches before going on a 30-match unbeaten run, an English record for unbeaten league games in a single season that lasted until Arsenal went unbeaten through the whole of the 2003–04 FA Premier League season.[37] Burnley could not retain the title and finished third the following season.[38] The successful John Haworth became the second Burnley manager to die while in office in 1924, when he died of pneumonia.[39] In April 1926, centre-forward Louis Page scored a club record six goals in an away league match against Birmingham City.[40] Thereafter followed a steady deterioration of their position, with only fifth place in 1926–27 offering respite from a series of near-relegations which culminated in demotion in 1929–30.[41] Burnley struggled in the second tier, narrowly avoiding a further relegation in 1931–32 by two points.[42] The years through to the outbreak of the Second World War were characterised by uninspiring league finishes, broken only by an FA Cup semi-final appearance in 1934–35,[43] and the arrival (and equally swift departure) of centre-forward Tommy Lawton.[41][44] Burnley participated in the varying football leagues that continued throughout the war, but it was not until 1946 that football was restored.[45]

In the first season of post-war league football, Burnley gained promotion through second place in the Second Division. The team's defence was nicknamed "The Iron Curtain", since they only conceded 29 goals in 42 league matches.[46] Additionally, there was a run to the FA Cup Final for the second time, with Aston Villa, Coventry City, Luton Town, Middlesbrough and Liverpool being defeated before Charlton Athletic beat Burnley 1–0 after extra time at Wembley.[47] The team immediately made an impact in the top division, finishing third in 1947–48 as they began to assemble a team capable of regularly aiming for honours.[48][49]

From 1955 to 1981, under the reign of lifelong Burnley supporter and chairman Bob Lord, later described as "the Khrushchev of Burnley" as a result of his authoritative attitude,[50] the club became one of the most progressive around.[51] On account of manager Alan Brown and Lord, Burnley became one of the first clubs to build a purpose-built training centre (Gawthorpe), which opened its doors in July 1955,[52] while most teams trained on public parks or at their own grounds.[51] Gawthorpe was built on the outskirts of the town and as well as using paid labour, manager Brown helped to dig out the ground himself.[53] Brown also "volunteered" several of his players to help out. Further, Burnley became, after foundations were again laid by Lord and Brown,[54] renowned for their youth policy and scouting system, which yielded many young players over the years such as Jimmy Adamson, Jimmy McIlroy, John Connelly, Willie Morgan and Martin Dobson.[55] An acclaimed scout employed by Burnley during this period was Jack Hixon, who was mainly based in North East England, and scouted many players, including Jimmy Robson, Brian O'Neil, and Ralph Coates.[56] In his relatively short spell at the club from 1954 to 1957, Brown also introduced short corners and a huge array of free kick routines, which were soon copied across the land.[57]

In the 1955–56 season, Burnley reached the fourth round of the FA Cup, where they were knocked out by Chelsea after four replays.[58] In 1956–57, 17-year-old Ian Lawson, a product of the Burnley youth academy, scored a record four goals on his debut versus Chesterfield in third round of the FA Cup.[59] A tied club record 9–0 victory over New Brighton in the next round followed — despite missing a penalty — and the following season former Burnley player Harry Potts was appointed manager.[60] The team mainly revolved around the duo of captain Jimmy Adamson and playmaker Jimmy McIlroy.[61] Potts often employed the, at the time unfashionable, 4–4–2 formation and he introduced Total Football to English football in his first managerial seasons at Burnley.[52][62]

Blacklaw

Cummings

Miller

Angus

Elder

Adamson

McIlroy

Connelly

Pilkington

Robson

Pointer

The frequently used line-up by manager Harry Potts in 1959–60

Burnley endured a tense 1959–60 season in which Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers were the other protagonists in the chase for the league title. The team ultimately clinched their second First Division championship on the last day of the season with a 2–1 victory at Manchester City, with goals from Brian Pilkington and Trevor Meredith.[63] Although the team had been in contention all season, Burnley had never led the table until this last match was played out.[64] Potts only used 18 players throughout the whole season, as John Connelly became Burnley's top scorer with 20 goals.[65] The Lancastrians' title-winning squad cost only £13,000 (equivalent to £300,000 in 2020)[lower-alpha 2] in transfer fees — £8,000 on McIlroy in 1950 and £5,000 on left-back Alex Elder in 1959.[66] The other players all came from the Burnley youth academy.[66] The town of Burnley became the smallest to have an English first tier champion, since it counted 80,000 inhabitants.[67] After the season finished, Burnley went to the United States to participate in the inaugural international football tournament in North America, the International Soccer League.[68]

The following season, Burnley played in European competition for the first time, in the European Cup, beating former finalists Reims, before losing to Hamburger SV in the quarter-finals.[69] The club finished fourth in the league, and lost the FA Cup semi-final to Tottenham, who went on to become the first English club in the 20th century to win the double.[70] Burnley finished the 1961–62 season as runners-up (after winning only two of the last thirteen league matches) to newly promoted Ipswich Town,[71] and had a run to the FA Cup Final, where a Jimmy Robson goal, the 100th FA Cup Final goal at Wembley,[72] was the only reply to three goals from Tottenham. Jimmy Adamson was, however, named Footballer of the Year in English football after the season ended, with McIlroy as runner-up.[73] Burnley also had, due to their success in this period, several players with international caps, including, for England Ray Pointer, Colin McDonald, and John Connelly, for Northern Ireland Jimmy McIlroy and for Scotland Adam Blacklaw.[74]

Nonetheless, although far from a two-man team, the controversial departure of McIlroy to Stoke City and retirement of Adamson coincided with a decline in fortunes.[75] Even more damaging was the impact of the abolition of the maximum wage in 1961, meaning clubs from small towns, like Burnley, could no longer compete financially with teams from bigger towns and cities.[52][76] The club managed, however, to retain a First Division place throughout the decade finishing third in 1965–66,[77] with Willie Irvine becoming the league's top goal scorer that season,[78] and reaching the semi-final of the League Cup in 1968–69.[79] Burnley had also reached the quarter-finals of the 1966–67 Fairs Cup, in which they were knocked out by German side Eintracht Frankfurt.[80]

Potts was replaced by Adamson as manager in 1970 after a 12-year spell.[81] Adamson was unable to halt the slide and relegation followed in 1970–71 ending a long unbroken top flight spell of 24 consecutive seasons during which, more often than not, Burnley had been in the upper reaches of the league table.[82] Burnley won the Second Division title in 1972–73, losing only four times in 42 matches.[83] As a result, the team were invited to play in the 1973 FA Charity Shield where they emerged as winners against the reigning holders of the shield, Manchester City.[84] In the First Division, led by playmaker Martin Dobson and Leighton James, the side managed to finish sixth in 1973–74 as well as reaching another FA Cup semi-final; this time losing out to Newcastle United.[85] The following season the team were victims of one of the great FA Cup shocks of all time when Wimbledon, then in the Southern League, beat Burnley 1–0 at Turf Moor.[86] Adamson left the club in January 1976, and relegation from the First Division followed later that year.[87][88] In ensuing seasons, declining home attendances combined with a growing debt forced Burnley to sell their best players, like Dobson and James, causing a rapid fall through the divisions.[89]

Graph showing Burnley's performance from the inaugural season of the Football League in 1888–89 to the present

Three nondescript seasons in the Second Division followed before relegation to the Third Division for the first time in 1979–80.[82] In 42 league games, Burnley could not manage a win in any of the first 16 or the last 16 games of the season.[90] In September 1981, with the team in the Third Division relegation zone, and close to bankruptcy, Lord decided to retire.[91] The remainder of the season, under the management of former Burnley player Brian Miller,[92] saw only three more defeats after October, as Burnley were promoted as champions in their centenary year.[93] However, this return was short-lived, lasting only one year; albeit a year in which the team reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and the semi-final of the League Cup, recording victories over Tottenham and Liverpool in the latter.[94] Burnley won 1–0 against Liverpool in the League Cup semi-final second leg, but it was not enough for an appearance in the final, as Burnley had lost the first leg 3–0.[94]

Managerial changes continued to be made in an unsuccessful search for success; Miller was replaced by Frank Casper in early 1983, he by John Bond before the 1983–84 season and Bond himself by John Benson a season later.[95] The unpopular Bond was the first Burnley manager since Frank Hill (1948–1954) without a previous playing career at the club. He was criticised for signing expensive players, which increased Burnley's debt, and for selling young talents Lee Dixon, Brian Laws and Trevor Steven.[96] Benson was in charge when Burnley were relegated to the fourth level of English football for the first time at the end of the 1984–85 season. It also marked the fifth relegation in the past fifteen seasons, most strikingly, finishing 21st in each of those five seasons.[82]

Martin Buchan (briefly) and then Tommy Cavanagh saw the side through 1985–86 before Miller returned for the 1986–87 season,[97] the last match of which is known as "The Orient Game".[98] For the 1986–87 season, the Football League had decided to introduce automatic relegation and promotion between the Fourth Division and the Football Conference, the top tier of non-league football.[99] Although, in retrospect, this only served to blur the lines between professional and semi-professional leagues in England, at the time it was perceived that teams losing league status might never recover from this.[100] Additionally, Burnley had a new local rival in Colne Dynamoes who were rapidly progressing through the English non-league system at the same time as the former champions of England were in the lowest level of the Football League.[101] Colne's chairman-manager, Graham White, had multiple proposals rejected by the Burnley board for a groundshare of Turf Moor, as he even attempted to buy Burnley in early 1989.[102] Two years earlier, the Burnley board had attempted to purchase almost bankrupt Welsh club Cardiff City and relocate it to Turf Moor, if Burnley would be relegated, in what would have been the Football League's first franchise operation.[103] In a disastrous season, which saw only 12 wins in 46 league games and a first round FA Cup 3–0 defeat at non-league Telford United,[82][104] Burnley went into the last match in bottom place needing a win against Orient, and for Lincoln City to lose and for Torquay United to not win.[105] A 2–1 win, before a crowd of over 15,000 (the club's average home league attendance before the match was 2,800),[106] with goals from Neil Grewcock and Ian Britton, was enough to keep Burnley in the Fourth Division; Torquay drew; Lincoln lost and were relegated.[105]

Wade Elliott's goal earned Burnley a 1–0 victory over Sheffield United in the Championship play-off Final, which resulted in the Clarets reaching the highest level of English football for the first time in 33 years

In May 1988, Burnley were back at Wembley; this time to play Wolverhampton Wanderers in the final of the Associate Members' Cup, which they lost 2–0. The match was attended by 80,000 people, a record for a tie between two teams from English football's fourth tier.[107] In 1990–91, the club qualified for the Fourth Division play-offs under manager Casper, where they were eliminated in the semi-final by Torquay United.[108] The following season, Burnley fared better, as they became champions under new manager Jimmy Mullen in the last ever season of the Fourth Division before the league reorganisation. Mullen succeeded Casper in October, as Mullen won his first nine league matches in charge.[109] By winning the Fourth Division title, the Clarets became only the second club to win all top four professional divisions of English football, after Wolves.[110] In 1993–94, Burnley won the Second Division play-offs and gained promotion to the second tier. After winning 3–1 on aggregate against Plymouth Argyle in the semi-final,[111] Burnley faced Stockport County in the final at Wembley. Burnley won 2–1, in a fierce battle (two Stockport players were sent off) in front of approximately 35,000 Burnley supporters (the total attendance was 44,806).[112][113] Relegation followed after one season,[114] and in 1997–98 only a last day 2–1 victory over Plymouth ensured a narrow escape from relegation back into the fourth tier.[115] Chris Waddle was player-manager in that season and Glenn Roeder his assistant,[116] but their departures and the appointment of Stan Ternent that summer saw the club start to make further progress.[117] In 1999–2000, they finished second in the Second Division and gained promotion back to the second tier, with the club's striker and lifelong Clarets fan Andy Payton being the division's top goal scorer.[78][118]

Burnley immediately made an impact, as during the 2000–01 and 2001–02 seasons, they emerged as serious contenders for a promotion play-off place.[82] In the latter season, Burnley missed the last play-off place by a single goal.[119] In early 2002, financial problems caused by the collapse of ITV Digital brought the club again close to administration.[120][121] By 2002–03, the form on the field had declined as well, despite a good FA Cup run, where they reached the quarter-finals.[82] In June 2004, Ternent's six years as manager came to an end, narrowly avoiding relegation in his last season with a squad composed of many loanees and some players who were not entirely fit.[122][123] Steve Cotterill was then appointed as manager.[124] Cotterill's first year in charge produced two notable cup runs, beating Liverpool and Aston Villa in the third rounds of the FA Cup and the League Cup, respectively.[125] In the 2006–07 campaign, the team went 19 consecutive matches without a win stretching from December to March.[126] The sequence of draws and losses was finally broken in April, as Burnley beat Plymouth Argyle 4–0 at home. After that, a short run of good form in the final weeks of the competition saw Burnley finish comfortably above the relegation places, ensuring that they remained in the Championship.[127]

The following season, a poor run of results led to the departure of Cotterill in November 2007.[128] His replacement was St Johnstone manager Owen Coyle.[129] The 2008–09 season, Coyle's first full season in charge, ended with the Clarets' highest league finish since 1976; fifth in the Championship.[82][130] Burnley qualified for the Championship play-offs and beat Reading 3–0 on aggregate in the semi-final.[131] In the final, the team defeated Sheffield United 1–0 at Wembley Stadium, Wade Elliott scoring the goal, promoting Burnley to the Premier League; a return to the top flight after 33 years.[132] Furthermore, Burnley reached the semi-final of the League Cup for the first time in over 25 years,[133] after beating local clubs Bury and Oldham Athletic and London-based clubs Fulham, Chelsea and Arsenal.[134] In the semi-finals Burnley faced another London club, Tottenham, and lost the first leg 4–1. After being up by three goals to nil at home after 90 minutes, the away goals rule only comes into play during extra time in the League Cup,[135] the Clarets crashed out after two Spurs goals in the last two minutes of extra time, preventing two Wembley appearances in one season.[136]

Manager Sean Dyche has guided Burnley to two promotions to the Premier League

Burnley's promotion made the town of Burnley the smallest to host a Premier League club, since the rebranding of the league divisions in 1992.[137][138] Burnley started the season well, becoming the first newly promoted team in the Premier League to win their first four league home games, including a 1–0 win over defending champions Manchester United.[139] However, manager Coyle left Burnley in January 2010, to manage local rivals Bolton Wanderers. Coyle described Bolton as "five or 10 years ahead" of Burnley.[140] He was replaced by Brian Laws, but Burnley's form plummeted under the new manager, and the team were relegated after a single season in the Premier League.[141] Laws was dismissed in December 2010 and replaced by Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe.[142] Howe guided Burnley to an eighth-place finish in the Championship in his first season, narrowly missing out on a play-off place.[143] Nonetheless, he left the club in October 2012 to rejoin his hometown club Bournemouth; Howe citing personal reasons for the move.[144] He was replaced in the same month by Watford manager Sean Dyche.[145]

Before the start of the 2013–14 season, Burnley were tipped as one of the relegation candidates, as Dyche had to work with a tight budget and a small squad, and they had lost top goal scorer Charlie Austin to Championship rivals Queens Park Rangers.[146] However, the team finished second and were automatically promoted back to the Premier League in Dyche's first full season in charge,[147] as the new strike partnership of Danny Ings (who also won the Championship Player of the Year award),[148] and Sam Vokes had 41 league goals between them.[149] Dyche only used 23 players throughout the season, which was the joint-lowest in the division, and he paid a transfer fee for only one player since his appointment — £400,000 on striker Ashley Barnes.[150] But again, the stay in the Premier League only lasted a single season as Burnley finished 19th out of 20 clubs and were subsequently relegated.[151] Burnley won the Championship title on their return in 2015–16, equaling their club record of 93 points of 2013–14, and ending the season with a run of 23 league games undefeated.[152] New signing Andre Gray finished as the league's top goal scorer with 25 goals.[153]

With a combination of excellent home form with poor away results, Burnley finished the 2016–17 season in 16th place, six points above the relegation zone, and were thus ensured to play consecutive seasons in the top flight for the first time in the Premier League era.[154] Burnley completed construction of Barnfield Training Centre, in 2017, which replaced the 60-year-old Gawthorpe.[155] Dyche was involved in the design of the training centre and had willingly tailored his transfer spending as he and the board focused on the club's infrastructure and future.[155][156] The 2017–18 season started off with an away win against defending champions Chelsea (3–2).[157] It was a start signal for a reversed away form, as Burnley finished the season with more points collected on the road than at home.[158] Burnley ultimately secured an unexpected seventh place at the end of the season, their highest league finish since 1973–74, and thus qualified for the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League, meaning the team qualified for a competitive European competition for the first time in 51 years.[158] However, the European campaign was already over in August, as the team crashed out in the play-offs against Greek side Olympiacos, after they had eliminated Scottish club Aberdeen and Turkish side İstanbul Başakşehir in the previous qualifying rounds.[159]

• Club history at the Burnley F.C. website
• Early club history at Clarets Mad
• The Longside – Your Online Clarets Encyclopedia (archived)