Who went?

[1959_60]

It is ten years ago today that Burnley finally made it back to the top league. By defeating Sheffield United at Wembley a brand new dawn appeared for the Clarets.

I can't say i enjoyed the game - it was too important and I was too nervous for that.

But the feeling at the final whistle was incredible.

I never thought that we would ever make it while watching us plonk about in the lower divisions, but we had - and it wouldn't sink in.

A very enjoyable trip home - even though there were rumours that Owen was about to do one and take the Celtic job.

Did anyone on here go?

[sinkov]

We were living in France at the time, we flew to Gatwick, stayed in a hotel in Kensington and took the Tube out to Wembley. There were some Sheffield United fans sat across from us and they kept giving us funny looks, I had my Burnley shirt on, but they kept looking at Mrs S as well, and then I noticed she'd taken her sweater off and was wearing a red and white striped blouse. Women eh, you couldn't make it up. Of course she had no idea, no idea at all.
Like 59, I never thought I'd see us in the top division ever again, but ten years ago already, where does the time go ?

[Vintage Claret]

Went with the grandchildren was at the very back of the stand behind the goal that we were defending in the first half. Knew we had scored but not who scored at the time. It was a great day out but a very expensive one.

[The Bedlington Terrier]

Me and my lad who was ten at the time, went with Accy Clarets in a fleet of orange coaches. During the post match madness we went to find our coach and I turned round and the little beggar was nowhere to be seen.
After half a hour the onsite police were informed, the lads on the coach were looking for him and after one hour of me getting more and more frantic a steward found him crying on the steps at Wembley.

The steward obviously thought he was a distraught Blades even though he was decked out head to toe in Claret & Blue, but once my son explained he had lost his dad, he got in touch with the police and he was returned to me.

One and a half hours is a mighty long time when you are worried out of your skin and then to compound the misery, a broken down coach meant we were sat on the Wembley coach park for a further three hours.

But what a goal from Wade Elliot! And a special thanks to Tranmere's very own Mike Dean for not awarding a 50/50 penalty to the Blades late in the second half!

att

[frantastic51]

I was there too. I hadn't seen Burnley struggling in the lower divisions, was immersed in athletics for years and you can't do both. My mate had always followed them though from afar as she'd absconded to the far reaches of Cumbria in 1969. However we always said if Burnley ever got to Wembley, we'd go. I remember sitting at the computer trying to buy tickets and the darned thing froze in the middle of the transaction. 3 hours later it was still frozen so I switched it all off thinking we'd missed our chance. Then came a credit card statement much later showing the transaction had gone through and the tickets duly arrived. A day for celebration only beaten by the actual trip to Wembley itself. Like vintage claret we couldn't tell who scored the goal as it was down the other end but I'll never forget my first trip to Wembley.
Although when I was picked up at the Tickled Trout by my mate's neighbours who rolled up in a beat-up old Golf with 150,000m on the clock I never thought we'd get there. But it all went brilliantly and we've been season ticket holders ever since.

[1959_60]

Nice story Fran!

What branch of athletics were you in?

During that time I was a keen fell runner and also a long distance cyclist.

I used to run to and from Turf Moor (from Stacksteads) and cycle to the odd away game.

In the late 80's when the club were desperately looking for money, I offered to cycle to every place we had played a European game (Rheims, Hamburg, Lausanne, Stuttgart, Frankfurt and Naples).
The club told me that I would have to get sponsorship myself because they were already asking all local businesses for brass.

In the end I opted for a bike trip to Naples as a holiday.

When I arrived in Naples I cycled into the stadium wearing Burnley stuff. There were workmen doing construction work.

I shouted at them from afar, "Burnley, 1967, Inter-Cities Fairs Cup!"

A bunch of them started running at me with their big heavy tools. I assessed the situation quickly. Either they are Rovers fans, or their grasp of English isn't up to "O" level standard and they thought that I was a nutter who was threatening them. I realised that, whichever option was correct, then the best course of action was to bugger off swiftly.
So I turned my bike round and cycled like the clappers.

[barrie_burn]

Where the hell does the time go? I had a shock when I read it was 10 years ago.

Living in Cardiff I couldn't get a ticket through normal sources but I managed to get one on the internet through a tout.The cost as I recall was about £248 for a £40 ticket but even my Mum said I had to go AND IT WAS WORTH IT.

[Claret_Matelot]

Me and the wife went.

[norvenmunky]

I went,

Brilliant day even being abandoned by our coach driver in London couldn't take the shine off that day.

[frantastic51]

Nice story too 59-60. I was a track and field athlete with Rossendale Harriers mainly sprints but as you do, when running for the team, I had a go at most things. Interesting though to hear you were a fell runner. You must have known my hubby he was a founder member at Rossendahe Harriers and a very good fell runner and a Stacksteads lad, Harry Aspinall by name. We met at the Club and married in 1981. He was very well known in the running fraternity and would have been 70 this year had he not succumbed to cancer in 1996.