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In fact not just a cup run, they had just reached the Final of the FA Cup and went on to win it in a game most famous for Jim Montgomery’s save and Bob Stokoe’s hat. The whole country were with Sunderland that day, I remember jumping up in front of the television when the winner went in, as Leeds left Wembley with their tails between their legs.
But this is not about Sunderland. They just happened to be our opponents on a very special night for Burnley Football Club – and make no mistake this was party night at Turf Moor with a capital P with celebrations going on long into the night.
Two years earlier Burnley had lost their place with the elite, relegated from the First Division for the first time in twenty-four years. It was to be my first experience of Second Division football and life could have even been worse.
After a dreadful run in the second half of the season there was a slight chance that we could go down again. On Easter Saturday we suffered a 4-2 defeat at Blackpool having been 4-0 down but on Easter Monday we looked to have recovered and, ironically against Sunderland, we led 3-1 at Roker Park with five minutes to go.
Believe it or not but we lost the game 4-3 and manager Adamson was again under pressure. On the way back from the North East though somebody must have done something that changed things round entirely. The remaining six games were all won and then there was the following 1972/73 season.
We had beaten Huddersfield on the Saturday 2-0 with goals from the two forwards Frank Casper and Paul Fletcher. We had now won 20, drawn 13 and lost just 4 games in the league and were on the verge of promotion. It was only Sunderland’s games in hand (although they were half way down the table) that had kept us waiting this long.
And just two days after the Huddersfield game Bob Stokoe brought his Cup Finalists to Turf Moor in what I describe still as my favourite all time Burnley match, such was the significance.
We had to go into the game without Mick Docherty, injured at Huddersfield and out for the season and Billy Ingham stepped into an unaccustomed position at right-back.
We lined up: Alan Stevenson, Billy Ingham, Keith Newton, Martin Dobson, Colin Waldron, Jim Thomson, Geoff Nulty, Frank Casper, Paul Fletcher, Doug Collins, Leighton James. Sub not used: Ray Hankin.
The Sunderland team was: Jim Montgomery, Dick Malone, Ron Guthrie, Micky Horswill, Dave Watson, Richie Pitt, Bobby Kerr, Brian Chambers, Dennis Tueart, Ian Porterfield, David Young. Sub not used: Joe Bolton.
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There are some games when you can remember every last kick and others that are nothing more than a blur. Maybe a visit to the pub before hand has taken the detail away from me but all I can now remember about the ninety minutes was Paul Fletcher scoring the two goals that gave us the 2-0 win.
There were no electronic boards then showing how much sponsored added time there was and the one and only thing I can recall was remonstrating with referee Ray Toseland when he appeared to be letting the game go on for far too long.
Whether he could here my pleas for the final whistle from the top of the Longside I will never know but after my loudest scream he did exactly what I was imploring him to do, he blew the final whistle that announced our return to First Division football.
Turf Moor went crazy, and if I thought the noise at Fratton Park was of too many decibels last night then the roar from the 22,852 on the Turf that night surpassed it with ease.
There was no rush into town as we left the ground, the only place to go was the Park View. A much smaller pub than the Park View of today it was the closest pub to the ground and nobody wanted to be too far away from the place.
It was packed and I’m never so sure what happened to the licensing laws that night, the doors might have shut at 11 o’clock but the drink didn’t. The press arrived led of course by Keith McNee and including some very familiar faces.
One was a broadsheet journalist called Dennis Lowe, he was a regular after match summariser on BBC television’s Grandstand and Burnley were not one of his favourite clubs. Another one of these big city club men who think that only they are allowed to achieve anything.
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I think he got more than he bargained for and I do recall my aunt was in the pub and was shocked at the language she heard coming from her young nephew’s mouth. I never saw Dennis Lowe again and never did get the chance to ask him why he didn’t finish his pint.
The party spilled out onto Brunshaw Road and I swear I saw Bob Lord smile at the fans, he must not have realised that we were in fact fans. Jimmy Adamson came out to talk to us but looked a bit the worse for wear and he kept telling us that he was going to force drink and a cigar down the throat of his tee-total non-smoking assistant Joe Brown.
Later Adamson, the proud manager, said of the achievement, "Monday 16th April 1973, was the greatest football day of my life and the thrill, pleasure and satisfaction of making certain of promotion far exceeded anything else I have ever achieved in the game."
We were then granted an audience with captain D-O-DOB-DOBO-DOBBO as trays of drink were being brought out. The players joined the party, by now a street party, for a while but for some reason felt they had to leave at around 2 o’clock in the morning.
All good things have to come to an end and after picking up the Burnley Express from the newsagents next to the ground and having one last drink I returned home to prepare for our next match, Good Friday afternoon at Oxford.
I am often asked about memorable games, great days, great nights. When you see your team return to the top division of English football I can assure you it has to be one of the greatest nights ever.
It’s not the time to worry about whether you are good enough (we were good enough by the way Mr. Lowe and proved it) but the time to celebrate the success.
I might not be able to remember the exact details other than the fact that it was Paul Fletcher who scored the goals, but I do remember and always will remember that it was a great night for Burnley Football Club and that meant it was a great night for me.
We were still to win the Championship but that was to come later – see you at Deepdale in a couple of weeks. Dingles indeed !!