As COVID-19 put a halt to all sport and pauses football until April 30th, a trip down memory lane is on the cards.

Today's stop is Monday 02 May 2016 when Burnley picked up a 1-0 win over Queens Park Rangers and gained promotion back to the Premier League. 

Sean Dyche gained his second promotion with Burnley and has remained in the top flight since, proving himself as a Premier League manager.

The Build Up

Burnley came into this fixture needing a win for automatic promotion. They were also in superb form, not losing since Boxing day 2015, going 21 league games unbeaten. In the reverse fixture they were held to a draw in London, making this game all the more important to win. 

Burnley fans travelled from all over the country, with generational families coming from the south, midlands and other parts of the north, whilst the Turf Moor faithful showed up again. All of them were hoping for one outcome that day. 

Before the game the outside of the stadium was packed with fans watching the early kick-off on the big screen, drinking pints and grabbing food before filling the seats of Turf Moor.

The Game

Dyche had picked his usual eleven that season in this game keeping it simple with his preferred 4-4-2 formation.

Captain Tom Heaton lead out the squad consisting of; Matt Lowton, Michael Keane, Ben Mee, Stephen Ward, George Boyd, David Jones, Joey Barton, Scott Arfield, Sam Vokes and Andre Gray.

The first half did not go to plan for Burnley as they nearly went behind in the 20th minute when Alejandro Faurlin hit the post from distance. 

However, in the second half Welsh international Sam Vokes grabbed his 14th goal of the season as he headed on a Jones free-kick into the far corner. The goal caused the stadium to erupt with the excitement from the Burnley fans, who would eventually see their team hold their victory and win the game.

As soon as the final whistle was blown fans stormed onto the pitch with excitement to celebrate the achievement.

What Happened Next?

After their victory the Clarets would travel to Charlton Athletic on the final day of the season with a win securing them the Championship title.

The hosts of this fixture were in trouble at the time as fans continued to protest against the current owners of the club. Scenes before, during and after the game showed Burnley fans joining in with the protests to help a fellow football league club. 

On the pitch the performance wasn't affected by the fans and Burnley ran out 3-0 winners to secure the title.

Since then Burnley have remained in the Premier League under Dyche and have even played European football, showing the progression the club has made. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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