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Featured Sport News

Burnley aim for glory

Author: Sir David Smith
Date: 24/05/2009

Just 22 years after being on the verge of slipping into the Conference and possible extinction, Burnley are just 90 minutes away from playing in English football's top-flight for the first time since 1976.

However, the football betting favourites must first beat Sheffield United who have more recent memories of the top division having been controversially relegated from the Premier League two years ago.

Since beating Leyton Orient at Turf Moor on the final day of the 1986-87 campaign to stay in the Football League, Burnley, English champions in 1921 and 1960, have made steady progress.

However, they have blossomed under the guidance of Owen Coyle this season despite suffering two heavy defeats in their opening two matches - 4-1 at Sheffield Wednesday and 3-0 at home to Ipswich Town.

Coyle brought in several key players last summer including Chris Eagles, Steven Thompson and Martin Paterson and, despite their slow start, it has been a campaign to remember for Clarets fans.

Victories against Fulham, Chelsea and Arsenal helped Coyle's side reach the semi-finals of the Carling Cup where they were within seconds of overcoming a 4-1 first-leg deficit against Tottenham and progressing to a Wembley Final.

They added a fourth Premier League scalp in the FA Cup, seeing off West Brom, before eventually losing to Arsenal in the fifth round.

A 23rd-minute Paterson goal just over a month ago proved enough for Burnley to beat the Blades 1-0 in the Championship while at Bramall Lane the Clarets won 3-2 when Paterson, Graham Alexander and Eagles were all on target.

However, United did finish the regular season four points and two places better off than Monday's opponents and Kevin Blackwell's side impressed in both legs of their play-off semi-final victory against Preston North End.

Despite selling James Beattie to Stoke City in January, United have prospered in the second half of the season although their squad does now lack a regular goalscorer.

Beattie remains the club's top scorer this term with 12 goals while Stephen Quinn has grabbed seven goals from midfield and Darius Henderson just six.

Two years ago Neil Warnock's Blades side were relegated to the Championship on the last day of the season when they lost 2-1 to Wigan Athletic at Bramall Lane and West Ham won 1-0 at Manchester United.

United were recently told that they will receive 15million from the Hammers over the Carlos Tevez affair, but they will need to spend that money wisely if they do win promotion to the Premier League as their squad currently has more depth than quality.

That is in sharp contrast to Burnley's squad which is one of the smallest in the Championship so, whoever wins at Wembley, there will need to be some surreptitious buying in the summer in order to be ready for the start of the 2009-10 campaign on August 15 and avoid being the football betting favourites to be relegated.

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