The last time I saw Sunderland play at Turf Moor in the top division was 40 years ago. I had just left school, to the delight of Messrs McConnell, Reed , Kilminster and Weatherley and was waiting to go to college. I had been working at Aycliffe Hospital as an orderly and the money I earned was all wasted on football, football and more football.

The game was a disaster; we ended up losing 3-0 and on the way back, the first thoughts of relegation began to stir in what was then an optimistic brain.
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Burnley, “little Burnley”. The dark, satanic north-west as captured by Andreas Andrews.
Also, a force in English football in the early 1960s, but a narrow escape from relegation from the Football League in the 1980s. Burnley fans have known thin times and only the older ones can have first-hand memories of a more glorious era. Tony Scholes, editor of the Clarets Mad fan site, is old enough to recall the last promotion to the top flight: clinched with a 2-0 victory over Sunderland just before we won the FA Cup final in 1973. Buoyed by home wins against Man Utd and Everton, he’s confident of seeing us off on Saturday lunchtime …

Salut! Sunderland: The playoff final: best day of your life or just the best day as a fan?

Tony: It was certainly up there with my best days as a Burnley fan, no doubt about that. It was an amazing day right from the moment we set off from Burnley early that morning. I’ve seen us win at the old Wembley but this one was far more important and frankly for a team the size of Burnley to reach the Premier League is something very special.

It was just a simply incredible day and like most Burnley fans I’ve not got my feet back on the ground just yet. It’s the second time I’ve seen Burnley win promotion to the top division. The last time we did it was as champions and the promotion clincher was a 2-0 home win against Sunderland in April 1973. Our current chief exec Paul Fletcher scored both goals that night.

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