At five o'clock on the afternoon of 31st August, the transfer window for deals between Premiership clubs slammed shut. But loan deals from top-flight outfits to Nationwide teams were still possible.
The night before Burnley Football Club kicked off their 2003/04 campaign, a blood red moon hung over the town. For those looking for some kind of indication as to what lay ahead, it served as an ominous portent.
