New names in Turf Moor links

Last updated : 08 July 2002 By Tony Scholes

Richard Edghill
That is the case for the players who left Burnley at the end of last season with three of them Kevin Ball, Lenny Johnrose and Mitchell Thomas looking for new clubs in the Football League.

Agents are working overtime to get their clients new deals and suddenly players are being linked with this club and that club. It has been a quieter summer for speculation at Burnley with just the odd player being linked. It has certainly been nothing like the last two years when it seemed new players were being added to the list almost daily. Suddenly though in the last few days four players have found themselves, according to speculation, on their way to Turf Moor.

The first of these is Manchester City full back Richard Edghill. The 27 year-old full back has spent his entire career to date at Maine Road apart from a short loan spell with Birmingham City in the 2000/01 season making his debut for Birmingham against the Clarets.

He played in both league games for City against us last season but was hardly a regular in the side and made just eleven league appearances all season. His last first team appearance was in February in a 4-0 win at home against Sheffield Wednesday. Edghill is available on a free transfer and it is certain that his future is now away from Manchester City for whom he has made more than 200 league and cup appearances.

Marlon Broomes
Another defender to be linked with us is Sheffield Wednesday's Marlon Broomes a player who took some abuse from the Burnley crowd on more than one occasion last season. I think this could have had something to do with the fact that he started his career just down the M65 at Ewood Park and in fact was still there player when he played against us for Grimsby last November.

He had previously had a loan spell with both Swindon in the 1996/97 season and with QPR in 2000/01. Last season he made 15 league appearances for Grimsby during another loan spell and looked all set to sign for them on a permanent basis. However at the eleventh hour he snubbed them and signed for Sheffield Wednesday on a free transfer.

It now appears that he signed only until the end of last season although they were expecting him to return for the new season. He hasn't though reported for training and it is now believed he will be with a new club. The Clarets are one of a number of clubs that have been linked with him.

Scunthorpe left-back Andrew Dawson could be on his way to the Turf now after being snubbed by Norwich who have instead signed Burnley target Paul Heckingbottom from Darlington.

Dawson, who is 23, is no stranger to the Clarets. In our promotion season he should clearly have been sent off in the televised game at the Turf when he brought down Andy Payton on the edge of the box. "He's off", said Sky commentator Alan Brazil straight away but referee Laws didn't even give him a yellow card.

Neal Ardley
The following season he scored the goal that took our FA Cup replay into extra-time at Glanford Park, a tie we eventually lost on penalties. That goal was from a free-kick, he was well known as the top free-kick specialist in Division Three.

He has been offered a new contract with Scunthorpe but has not signed it as yet and is keeping his options open. He has been a regular in the Scunthorpe side since signing from Nottingham Forest in December 1998 and has now made over 150 league appearances.

Finally Wimbledon's 29 year-old midfielder Neal Ardley is apparently on his way to Burnley. He was made available by Wimbledon after making over 300 league and cup appearances for them. Ardley is a southerner from Epsom and has spent his entire career with the Dons. Whether a move to the North West suits Ardley is not known but he has continually been linked with a move to the Turf over the past few days.

It is still unsure whether there will be any new signings at Burnley this summer but in two days time we return for pre-season training. In the past that has been a day when Stan has announced new signings.