History of Burnley F.C.

Burnley achieved promotion back to the First Division in 1912–13 under manager John Haworth; the following year the side won the FA Cup for the first—and to date only—time, after they defeated Liverpool in the final.

Burnley played several trial matches with local sides during the following weeks "to select the best possible elevens for the coming season"; the new team was a combination of the former rugby players and arrivals with association football experience.

[8] To commemorate the visit, Burnley received a set of white jerseys featured with a blue sash and embellished with the royal coat of arms.

[11] In the 1887–88 FA Cup, the side took revenge on Darwen Old Wanderers by defeating the visitors 4–0 to record their first victory in the competition; Burnley were eliminated in the following round by Accrington.

In the second game, William Tait became the first player in history to score a league hat-trick when his three goals gave Burnley their inaugural win in the competition (4–3 against Bolton Wanderers).

Burnley finished only one place from bottom in 1889–90, following a run of 17 winless games at the start of the season, although the side won their first Lancashire Cup after they beat local rivals Blackburn Rovers 2–0 in the final.

The away side were awarded a penalty kick by the referee but it was saved by Burnley goalkeeper Archibald Kaye, who helped his team to record a 3–2 win.

[27][g] The struggling performances combined with the club's considerable financial debt saw manager Mangnall leave Burnley for Manchester United in October 1903; his successor was Spen Whittaker.

The next season, the team consolidated their place in the top flight and won their first major honour, the FA Cup, after a 1–0 win against Liverpool in the final at Crystal Palace.

[20] In October 1923,[38] Burnley and opponents Sheffield United influenced the creation of the penalty arc, which was adopted by the International Football Association Board and introduced to the Laws of the Game in 1937.

[21] Burnley struggled under his tenure and lost key player Bob Kelly to Sunderland in 1925; his transfer fee of £6,500 (equivalent to £470,000 in 2025[c]) broke the world record.

The team avoided relegation by one point in 1925–26; Burnley lost 10–0 in their opening match against Aston Villa but won three of the last five games, including a 7–1 away win against Birmingham in which Louis Page scored a club record six goals.

[j] A drop in home attendances coupled with financial problems saw the mid-season departure of key players Jack Bruton to Blackburn Rovers and Joe Devine to Newcastle United.

Gates at Turf Moor dropped under 5,000 in 1932; to reattract the interest of the local community, a supporters' club was formed, after which the attendances started to slightly improve.

[55][56] Burnley was one of the first football clubs to set up a purpose-built training ground, at Gawthorpe in July 1955, and included a medical room, a gymnasium, three full-size pitches and an all-weather surface.

Burnley won their second First Division championship on the last day with a 2–1 victory at Manchester City with goals from Brian Pilkington and Trevor Meredith.

[67][k] The Daily Mirror noted: "Burnley, the team of quiet men—five of them are part-timers and the whole outfit cost less than £15,000—snatched the First Division Championship from the teeth of the famous Wolves".

[70][71] Burnley defeated Bayern Munich (West Germany), Glenavon (Northern Ireland) and Nice (France) but finished runners-up in the group stage behind Scottish side Kilmarnock.

[74][75] The team finished the 1961–62 First Division as runners-up to newly promoted Ipswich Town after they won only one of the last ten matches, and had a run to the 1962 FA Cup Final but lost against Tottenham.

[79] Burnley retained their place in the First Division throughout the decade, however, finishing third in 1962–63 and 1965–66, with the club's Willie Irvine ending as the league's top goal scorer in the latter season.

[82] After defeating Stuttgart, Lausanne Sports and Napoli, Burnley reached the quarter-finals of the competition, in which they were knocked out by West German side Eintracht Frankfurt.

[87] During this period, a drop in home attendances combined with an enlarged debt forced Burnley to sell star players such as Martin Dobson and Leighton James, which caused a rapid decline in the club's fortunes.

[20] The board made several managerial changes in a search for success; in early 1983, Miller was replaced with Frank Casper, who was succeeded by John Bond before the 1983–84 season.

[93] A 2–1 win before a crowd of over 15,000—five times more than the club's seasonal average[o]—with goals from Neil Grewcock and Ian Britton kept Burnley in the Fourth Division as Torquay drew and Lincoln lost.

[96] Colne's chairman-manager Graham White made a proposal for a groundshare of Turf Moor and attempted to buy the club in early 1989; the Burnley board rejected these offers.

[33][105] The North and the Jimmy McIlroy Stands replaced the Longside and the Bee Hole End terraces in 1996 at a total cost of over £5 million to take Turf Moor's capacity to almost 23,000.

The sequence of draws and losses ended in April, when Burnley beat Plymouth 4–0 at home, and a short run of good form saw them finish comfortably above the relegation zone, ensuring they remained in the Championship.

They beat Sheffield United in the Championship play-off final, which meant promotion to the top flight after 33 years; Wade Elliott scored the only goal.

[121][122] The side started the 2009–10 season well and became the first newly promoted team in the competition to win their first four home games,[123] including a 1–0 victory against defending champions Manchester United.

[144][145] In April 2022, Dyche was sacked after a run of poor results; Burnley won eleven points from eight matches under caretaker manager Mike Jackson, but were relegated back to the Championship after they lost on the final matchday against Newcastle United, finishing in 18th place.