When did you sign for Burnley?

I joined in 1980 really as a schoolboy, I used to go training with them in the summer holidays. I joined as an apprentice in 1982, so I was there for the 1983-84 season, I was there when John Bond took over. I'd gone for an England Schoolboy trial at Wigan, and before that had been going to train with Bolton. The night after the schoolboy trial, Gordon Clayton rung up and came down to the house. We were sat there with my Dad, and he offered me an apprenticeship there and then. I was only 14, and I'd supported them all my life, so it happened that night really, I signed right away.

When I signed I noticed there were quite a lot of Geordies already there: Trevor Steven, Brian Laws, Mark Allen and a couple of the older apprentices. But they were the last breed. I can't remember any since.

I remember when he first came down to Gawthorpe to give us all a talk. There used to be a bit of land near the gravel pitch we called the cabbage patch, we used to play head tennis on it. He had us all sat down round there, and soon as he started talking, I thought to myself, "He's going to change this club is this one." You know, big ideas. It had always been before that a really friendly, family club. Frank Casper and Miller, they were always approachable.

And I'll never forget I was cleaning the baths - I was only an apprentice - and he came in, never looked at us, and said, swearing, "That's not ******* good enough. Do it again." And from that day on, the club changed totally. He brought all his own players in, and there were two groups: all the Burnley players that had been there for some time, players like Martin Dobson and Andy Wharton, and the likes of Gerry Gow and co. And there was friction - really bad friction in training. And there were two dressing rooms at Gawthorpe, and the old Man City boys used to go in one and everybody else would use the other. The Burnley boys who were there before Bond used to all stick together - and you couldn't blame them really, you could tell that Bond wanted them all out and wanted his own men.

And John Benson was his sidekick. You know, it was horrible. To see people like Dobbo being treated the way he was treated - they used to talk down to him in training in front of every player. I mean, he was a class player wasn't he? He didn't need talking to like they did with him. I remember that, it sticks in my mind does that.

The man management was non-existent. Vince Overson, Kevin Young and Dobbo - they seemed to have it in for them in particular. They used to have a go for nothing really - Lawsy got it as well.....they ruined that club.

Total change, yes. He was a big time man, wasn't he? Burnley have never been used to anything like that - it's always been a family club. They always used to appoint from within. But they went for a change.

All I remember when he came was that he definitely got rid of Billy O'Rourke, Andy Wharton, Lee Dixon, Chris Curran, Kevin Young and myself. He'd not even seen me play, he just wanted rid. I can definitely say that he never saw me play, and there's no doubt about it that it was the same for some of the other kids.

Lee Dixon loved Burnley. When I was there as a schoolboy, Lee Dixon was there but he was a bit older than me, and he was on a non-contract basis. He really struggled to get a contract, did Lee Dixon. But then Frank Casper and Brian Miller signed him on a year's contract. But I never thought Lee Dixon was good enough, to be honest with you. He's done brilliantly really, when you see where he is now. He's worked hard, you know. He always worked hard at Burnley, but when we had five-a-sides, he was always the last to be picked - I used to get picked before him and I was younger!

Yes, in the 70's Burnley did always have a good reserve side. They had the likes of Rodaway and Thompson who used to play in the reserves to add that bit of experience. I ended up playing for Burnley reserves when I was in the fifth year at school. I got a phone call at school - can you play against Aston Villa reserves in the evening at Turf Moor. The reserve team became very weak.

And there was just less support in the club. You know, with Casper and Miller you always felt as though you had a chance. I was gutted to leave Burnley. I broke my ankle against Man Utd youth team. I was captain of Burnley youth at the time, and I was standing out in the reserve team. But then I broke my ankle, then Bond came, and you just felt as though you didn't belong there, they didn't help you at all. But when Casper and Miller were there, you thought yes, you know, you saw the likes of Trevor Steven go straight into the first team and you knew that if you were good enough that you'd get all the support you needed.

John Sainty, yes. He never spoke to me or anything. Up till then, I'd been really well thought of at Burnley and I was a part of it. But Sainty never spoke to me at all, never looked at me. From Arthur Bellamy to him! Arthur was brilliant with me, he was really good with the young lads. George Bray as well, George was really good. With them it was like a close family, really good, you had a laugh and everything. But that all went out the window, that. You'd no confidence at all with the new lot. They were very arrogant people. You went from working with down to earth people to someone who wouldn't give you the time of day. It just changed completely overnight. It was the worst thing that could have happened, really.

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