Lenny back at the Turf

Last updated : 11 March 2005 By Tony Scholes

It’s just over six years since Johnrose first pulled on the Claret & Blue shirt, he was one of a number of relatively big signings made by manager Stan Ternent as we successfully fought off relegation in the 1998/99 season.

He cost us £250,000 from Bury, and that meant another transfer deal between Warnock and Ternent, with Warnock then manager at Gigg Lane, and he played his part in keeping us up.

He remained at the Turf for another three full seasons but it was only in the first of them that he was anything like a regular member of the first team squad. During the promotion season he started over half of the games and he was in the side that won at Scunthorpe to clinch the promotion.

At the higher level he struggled to command a place in the side and there were only nine starts in the first season after promotion alongside ten substitute appearances whilst in the following season all his six league appearances came from the bench.

With the 2001/02 season over, with the staff being cut and Lenny out of contract it was no surprise to see him released and I’m sure most of us thought that would be the end of his Burnley career.

That was not the case and towards the end of August he came in on a short term contract. He was here for two months and added another six league appearances including four starts before moving onto Bury and then Swansea City.

He was with the Swans for much of the following season but on transfer deadline day he proved to be Stan Ternent’s last ever signing for Burnley when he rejoined us for the rest of the season.

He was on two bob a week according to Stan and featured in seven games including the crucial end of season wins against Franchise and Derby that kept us up and his appearance against Sunderland on the last day of last season proved to be his last in the Football League.

He made a total of 85 league appearances for Burnley, 55 of them starts plus another 30 appearances as substitute. He scored four goals in those games plus one other in the FA Cup that won us a replay against Scunthorpe.

He’s not a stranger to Burnley games this season and has covered a good number of them for Radio Lancashire where he has been known to be somewhat critical of the style of play under Steve Cotterill.

Always popular with the Burnley fans, despite being an ex-Rover, he’ll be assured a warm welcome tomorrow afternoon.