When did you first join Burnley?

I joined Burnley in March 1951. I came from Leyland Motors, who were in the Lancashire Combination, and I had a ten year career at Burnley. In that time I had 300 League games and about 50-odd cup games. I don't know about how many goals I scored, but I was fortunate in a way. I represented England, I represented the 'B' team, I represented the Football League a couple of times, I represented Young England, I represented the FA XI a couple of times. So on the whole, I had a nice career.

I joined in 1951 and I was in the Championship side in 1960. In fact, it was a nice run-in: we never went top of the League until the last match of the season, when we beat City. With the last few games to go, we got beaten at Wolves 6-0, then we had to go to Birmingham and we won 1-0, I managed to score in the last five minutes. We had Fulham at home on the Saturday and made a 0-0 draw, and on the Tuesday after we had to go to City for the last match of the season where we won 2-1. Myself and Trevor Meredith scored.

Well, it was more or less.....we'd played well all season and Wolves finished runners-up and they were a very very good side, so we just thought they'd caught us on one of those off days, really. We put it down to that and thought, "We've just got to win our last three games," and that was it.

I think it was one or two players that came in. That team was going through a period, when I made my debut at Tottenham, where Strong was in goal, Aird and Mather were full-backs, Bray was playing, Jackie Chew, Billy Morris. So, in another two years after that, more or less, McDonald and Blacklaw were in goal, who had come from the youth set-up. John Angus had come in and was in the team, Brian Miller - who was on the ground staff - he came through, and so we had a lot of youth in the side, besides one or two with experience like Tommy Cummings, Jimmy Adamson and Mac, so it was a pretty young side really.

Brian Pilkington (2nd right) with team-mates (Ray Simpson)

I was around 24 or 25 when we won the League and John Connelly - he was younger than me, Pointer was that bit younger, Adamson that bit younger than me, John Angus was, so yes we had a lot of youth. And in those days we worked on the youth policy - we always had a good response from the North East. A lot of the players then - John Angus, Jimmy Adamson, Tommy Cummings, Ray Pointer - they all came from the North East, so they must have had a good scout up there! And a good scout is worth as much to a club as a good player.

I left in 1960 - I played in the European Cup. We won at home against Rheims, and then away we got beat 3-2, but on the aggregate we got through. In the next match we played Hamburg at home in the quarter-finals, and I was fortunate enough to score two goals, and we won 3-1. And then between the first and second leg, I was transferred, for no reason at all. I was in the first team, I was playing well, I was scoring, was doing everything right.

But I think what it was - there was Everton, Preston North End, Blackpool, Bolton Wanderers - I had a choice where to go. Harry Potts called me in to the office, he says "There's some teams interested in you."

I said "Oh, well no, I'm alright. But what's the reason? Do you want me to go or what?"

He said, "Well put it this way, the Chairman's agreed terms."

I think what it was was that there was �30,000 offered, they'd signed me for �10 from Leyland Motors and they'd had 350-odd League and cup games out of me. In all my career at Burnley I was on �20 a week, and so it's easy reckoning to say that I'd earned around ten and a half thousand over ten years in wages. So, after 350 games and ten years service, they could sell me for �30,000 and make a nice �20,000, and that, at that time, wasn't bad.

I went to Bolton Wanderers, and then to Bury and then I finished up at Barrow!

Yes, we got promotion from the Fourth to the Third, and then I retired, in '66 I think it was.

No, no. But they just said they'd agreed terms. Bob Lord at that time - obviously - there was nothing I could do about it. With hindsight, I should have called his bluff and said "I'm not moving," but at that time there wasn't the player power that there is now. There was no freedom of contract. In those days they could just retain you and you could do nothing about it.

Well, Gordon Harris came in - he wasn't a bad player Gordon, he could play. He was in the reserves and he got his chance and took his chance and that was it really.

Yes. They must have thought - I was only 26 or 27 at the time. I'd probably another six or seven years in me. I honestly think, if I'd have stopped here....they've even said after - Bob Lord and Harry Potts - they said, "We should never have let you go." They both said that - they should never have sold me.

I think so, yes. I think.....yes, probably. At that time they dominated - they were a good footballing side, they played good football. Tactically and with dead-ball situations, everybody worked hard, everybody knew what everyone else was doing and with that squad of about thirteen or fourteen, Bobby Seith could come in, Walter Joyce could come in, Trevor Meredith - so we'd a nice blend. In that last match of the season at City, Connelly was injured, Mac played with his leg strapped up, and Trevor Meredith played and was outstanding, so we had people who could come in and play to standard, so yes, we had a very good squad really.

And then we went to America and played there for about six weeks...

the New York competition, yes, it was lovely really. We sailed on the SS United States, it took us about five days to get there. We went to Canada, we had a couple of matches in Canada, we played mostly in New York. It was absolutely magic, really. I loved my days here, and if I'd have had the choice to sign again for them, I'd have signed again for them, you know.

The Man Utd match here - 1953 I think it was. Duncan Edwards was playing, Roger Byrne, Bill Foulkes, Jack Rowley. Inside ten minues it was two apiece, and we finally ran out winners 5-3.

One of the others was at Tottenham when we were 4-0 down and came back to 4-4. That was the Saturday after going to Rheims midweek, and, you know, we celebrated all right after getting through that game. We only woke up at half-time, by which time we were four down! But we came back, and should have won it in the last minute - we missed a great chance. And then the City game stands out, when we won 2-1. Another was when we beat New Brighton in the Cup 9-0. I remember scoring one of the goals, and then they put me through and I was tripped up but they wouldn't let me take the penalty! Some lovely memories, really.

I think it's absolutely fantastic. I think its certainly more worthy than the Third Division - I mean we're only in the Third Division aren't we? With respect, they talk about the Premiership, but it's only the First Division really, isn't it? But this is more or less a Premier - a First Division set-up isn't it? It's absolutely magic. Go to some places....I bet these teams come here and can't get over it.

Burnley are going in the right direction, yes. The manager's got players playing for him, he's got them disciplined and the work rate's good, pretty good. Yes, the manager is on the right road.

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