Turf Moor
Harry Potts Way
Burnley
BB10 4BX
Tuesday 9 March 2010
Kick Off: 7:45pm

THE GROUND:

Our next away trip is to Burnley and when you talk about passion and football supporters these people are right up there with the best of them.

It is no surprise to me that Burnley are doing so well in The Premier League. Their supporters are some of the most vocal and passionate you could meet. I have been to Turf Moor on many occasions. What strikes me is how the people are so warm and hospitable to you but also territorial and parochial. They are like Jekyll and Hyde changing as soon as the referee blows his whistle to start the game and then returning to their friendly state when he blows the final whistle.

They cannot do enough for you to make you feel welcome before, and indeed, after the game, but when the game is in play they turn their ground into a vocal and hostile arena, and that is meant as a compliment. I know that people think the same about us here at The Britannia Stadium and I do genuinely believe that Burnley are the closest to us as passionate supporters. We have had some tough games there and we have had our fair share of success. But one game always sticks out in my memory when we visit Burnley and this game makes me want to get revenge every time I visit.

The FA Cup game at Turf Moor in 1980 when we lost 1-0. If you think referees are bad today, on this occasion we had Mr. Kevin McNally who decided to send both Ray Evans and Dennis Smith off. Dennis was sent off for time wasting. Now we were losing with 2 minutes to go and we wanted to make a substitution. So Dennis was coming off and Mr. McNally decided that he was taking too long. A ridiculous decision because we were losing, with less than 2 minutes to go. How could we be time wasting. To this day I am still upset with Mr. McNally and in a strange way he is responsible for the pleasure I get when travelling to Turf Moor and coming away with a win.

Their stadium is a smart, tidy stadium, which has been modernized on two sides of the ground. The Burnley people deserve a Premier League team, and when you look at tradition, Burnley are up there with the best of them. They have had some great players over the years.

Oh and another reason that my passion gets going when we visit Burnley is a certain Mr. Cotterill, but perhaps the less said, the better about that. Despite this rivalry I am delighted they are doing so well and I really hope they stay in the Premier League as I think teams like Burnley and Stoke should be at the top of English Football. So, as I said, their supporters are some of the most vocal and passionate you could meet, second only to the Stoke City fans. See you at Turf Moor this evening.

YOUR ROUTE:

From Britannia Stadium:

Join the M6 (North) at Junction 15, and leave to join the M65 at Junction 29. Exit the M65 at Junction 10 and follow signs for 'Towneley Hall'. This road eventually goes directly past Turf Moor.

DISTANCE:

77.9 miles with an approximate journey time of 1 hour 30 minutes.

CAR PARKING:

Most of the stadium's surrounding streets have parking restrictions on a matchday, so it is advisable for away supporters to use the cricket club or one of the following car parks:

Millenium NCP
Brown Street
BB11 1PZ
£3 to park

Deanmill Car Park
Plumb Street
BB11 3AG
£4 to park

Aircelle Limited
Bancroft Avenue
BB10 2TQ
£3 to park

WHERE TO STAY:

The Club recommend staying at the Holiday Inn Express, Burnley. The hotel is situated just off Junction 10 of the M65. (BB12 0TJ) - (www.hiexburnley.com)

TRAIN:

The nearest station is Burnley Manchester Road. From here, exit the station and walk down Centenary Way, from here, Turf Moor is clearly visible on your left hand side. Alternatively, from Burnley Central Train Station, follow signs for the 'Town Centre' and then head left towards 'Gala Bingo'. From here, walk down Yorkshire Street and then follow the instructions from 'Burnley Manchester Road'.

LOCAL MEDIA:

Newspapers: The Burnley Express, The Lancashire Telegraph.

Radio: BBC Radio Lancashire (95.5 FM); 2BR (99.8 FM)