Natural Born Claret walks home
Last updated : 02 July 2005 By Tony Scholes
Payts just walked away with it, taking over 55% of the vote as the poll smashed all Clarets Mad records with 1,400 people voting. He was a long way in front of Robbie Blake in second place, he took just under 25% of the vote, and apart from Ian Wright in third place the others didn’t even rate in the poll.
It’s not surprise to see Payton win it like this – he was a Turf Moor hero virtually from day one, scoring his first Burnley goal on his home debut. His goals kept us up for two seasons and then helped win us a promotion as he came oh so close to taking Willie Irvine’s record when he notched 27 league goals.
He looked all set to break Burnley goalscoring records when he signed a new three year deal but only a few months later he had started his last Burnley game.
He virtually disappeared from the first team picture and in his last season as a Claret he made just one substitute appearance, coming on for Alan Moore against Sheffield United in the third game of the season.
But his popularity with the Burnley fans never waned, he’s one of us and he got the chance to do what each and everyone of us would have dearly loved to do – score goals for the Clarets. And how he did that with 64 in 124 league games up to his last start in early 2001.
People will question Chris Waddle’s management, and rightly so, but he didn’t get everything wrong, he signed Andy Payton the Natural Born Claret.
Who’ll play alongside Payts? That’s up to you as voting starts tomorrow to determine who takes the last place in the side. We’ll chose the manager later next week and by next Saturday our team of the last ten years will have been completed.
