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Amazingly he only found himself on the bench at Rochdale for the opening day of the season Division Four game but came on as a substitute for another new player defender cum midfielder Roger Eli.
It was the same again in the next couple of games, replacing Mark Monington and Ray Deakin respectively but it was another five years before he sat on the bench again as he made one of the midfield places his own.
He soon became a crowd favourite and was a midfielder who could get box to box, could score goals, could tackle and could certainly let the opposition know he was around.
For five seasons he was only ever out of the side through injury or suspension and he scored a vital six goals from midfield during the 4th Division Championship season of 1991/92 playing alongside Andy Farrell.
Other midfield players were brought in such as David Campbell, Adie Randall and Warren Joyce but none could displace Deary and he played a starring role on that wonderful Wembley day in 1994 as we won a second promotion in two years.
Incredibly he was all but discarded for the following season making a lot less appearances, sometimes on the bench and even worse not in the squad at all. Mullen had somehow got it into his head that Division One football was a step too far when this was anything but the case.
It got worse too in January 1995 when, with the Clarets in their worst run in living memory, he was sold to Rochdale for £25,000. His last appearance came as a sub in a 3-0 defeat at Notts County on the day that Mullen tried to send out a team of twelve players.
He scored in his next game, a 1-0 win for Rochdale against Hartlepool at Spotland. From there he moved on to Southport and retired when illness prevented him from playing once more at Wembley in the FA Trophy Final.
In total he made 291 league and cup appearances for the Clarets and scored 30 goals.
In his five and a half years at Burnley there were few players more popular and that will guarantee him an excellent reception when he makes the half time draw at the game against Derby.