Burnley

"Being a young goalkeeper is surely one of the most difficult positions to play as a young player.

"He's been exceptional."

The 72+ team are ed by striker Lyle Taylor as they discuss the best of the best after an incredible EFL campaign.

When it came to choosing the player of the season, it was Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford who got Taylor and Aaron Paul's vote.

The 22-year-old kept 29 clean sheets across 45 Championship games, conceding just 16 times.

Trafford is not the only player on their radar.

"My shout would be Josh Brownhill. I thought he was magnificent," Jobi McAnuff said.

"I know they had a slow first half of the season but if anyone was popping up with an important goal, he was very much the man. A real driving force."

Listen to the full episode and more of the 72+ podcast on BBC Sounds.

Image source, Rex Features

Millwall forward Zian Flemming has completed a permanent move to Burnley having spent the season on loan at Turf Moor.

The Dutchman scored 14 goals in all competitions as the Clarets won promotion from the Championship this season, finishing second behind Leeds United.

Flemming, 26, ed Burnley on a season-long loan in August and at the time of g made his ambitions clear.

"I want to be a Premier League player in a Premier League team and with the aims and ambitions that we have here at the club, we can make that possible," he told the club website, external.

Details of the fee and the duration of Flemming's contract have not been disclosed.

Burnley's academy has been awarded Category One status ahead of their return to the Premier League.

Chris Casper, who was appointed academy manager six months ago and whose own son Charlie is in the academy, says the achievement is a big fillip to the club, shortly after they won promotion under Scott Parker.

He told BBC Radio Lancashire: "It will open a massive door for the games programme, recruitment of players and extra funding, so it's massively important for the club and testament to the staff and to the ownership who have backed us.

"Manchester United, Liverpool, Manchester City are all going to rock into town next year. When we were Category One three or four years ago, the atmosphere on a matchday is a different level.

"The pathway shows what you're trying to achieve and how you're trying to achieve it. It shows productivity, and Burnley's productivity over the last 20 years, with players coming through the academy to play in the first team, hasn't been very good.

"Scott has been really good with the young players, takes a lot of interest in them, and they train regularly [with the first team], generally on the day before a game so he gets to see them.

"There's a real desire to produce young players for our first team."

Image source, Rex Features

Burnley manager Scott Parker its it is surprising his side did not win the Championship after their performance this season, but is "proud" following their 3-1 win over Millwall.

Captain Josh Brownhill's brace either side of Jaidon Anthony's strike confirmed the Clarets' 100-point haul for the campaign and looked like being enough to secure the title.

But Leeds' stoppage time win at Plymouth spoilt the party, not that Parker is too downhearted.

"I'm so proud. We came into today hoping it would go our way, but wanting to win the game and get to 100 points, we did that," he told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"If you'd have said to me you'd reach 100 points, 33 games unbeaten, 16 goals conceded and you wouldn't win the league I'd have said 'no chance'. We've done remarkably this year."

Millwall opened the scoring through Mihailo Ivanovic's goal, and Parker praised his side's mentality in response.

"Over the past month or so, when we've gone a goal down, the players' reaction is one of needing to get back in it. We were superb today, we had real quality, created numerous chances; on another day it could have been a lot more.

"The challenge goes up a level or two next year. We've got a rock solid foundation and we've proven that this season. We are going to rest, reboot and we'll come into next year with a driving ambition to be as successful as we can."

Alex Fletcher
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

With just four games to go in the Premier League this season relegation has been decided.

For the second season in a row, all three promoted clubs have been sent straight back down, and 14 points separates those in the relegation zone and 17th placed West Ham.

Southampton, Leicester City and Ipswich Town have just 10 wins between them this season, and there is still a chance that the Saints finish the campaign as the t-worst Premier League team of all time.

But where did it all go wrong?

A struggle to survive

According to Opta, this is the worst combined points total of any group of promoted sides at this stage of the season in Premier League history

The three teams have only managed to get 50 points between them - after just 34 games - and are 14 points behind the previous record which was set last year by Sheffield United, Burnley and Luton Town.

While Leicester and Southampton have seen changes in the dugout this season, Ipswich have stuck with Kieran McKenna, but this has not changed their fortunes.

Between them, they have picked up just 21 points at home, with Southampton and Ipswich winning just once in-front of their own fans.

Promoted sides face 'more of a challenge'

And things look set to get even more difficult for those coming up from the Championship.

According to Opta, five of the lowest eight Premier League points totals for promoted sides after 34 games have come in the last eight years. Southampton are currently on the t-lowest points total ever at this stage of the season, alongside Derby County.

Speaking before his sides relegation, Ipswich boss McKenna said the gap between the Premier League and the Championship "is getting bigger" and that "it's been getting more of a challenge for clubs to be able to bridge that".

Burnley and Millwall are both on the hunt - but will either side be able to find what they are looking for when they meet at Turf Moor on Saturday (12:30 BST)?

For the Clarets, it's the Championship title they have their eye on but they'll need to better Leeds' result to obtain it.

Whereas the Lions are looking for a spot in the play-offs but are one of five contenders, currently sitting the middle of the pack just one place outside the top six.

So long as they win and Coventry City or Bristol City do not, it's theirs, but they will also need to be the first visiting side to claim victory at Turf Moor all season. A big ask.

• Burnley have lost just one of their last seven league games against Millwall (W3 D3), though that sole defeat did come in the reverse meeting in November last year (1-0).

• Millwall will be looking to record their first league double over Burnley since the 1997-98 campaign during which they won at Turf Moor 2-1.

• Burnley are unbeaten across their last seven Championship matches on the final day of the season (W4 D3), since a 5-0 defeat to Crystal Palace in May 2008.

• Since December 2020, Millwall have won just two of their last 12 away league games against sides from Lancashire (D5 L5), 4-2 and 3-2 wins against Preston and Blackpool respectively during the 2022-23 campaign.

• Burnley are currently unbeaten across their last 32 league games, with only Reading in 2005-06 (33) and Huddersfield Town between January and November 2011 (43) ever having a longer run in the English Football League outside of the top tier.

Image source, Getty Images

Burnley have announced an evening of celebrations on Tuesday, 6 May to mark the club's return to the Premier League.

Scott Parker and his squad will appear on the balcony at Burnley Town Hall for interviews from 18:15 BST, before an hour-long open-top bus parade at 19:00 takes them to Turf Moor.

The route will take the bus down Manchester Road, on to pedestrianised St James' Street, across the crossroads into Yorkshire Street and finally into Harry Potts Way and Turf Moor.

A statement, external added that the players will not be appearing at Turf Moor and no public events are planned at the stadium.

An afternoon of activities including "fun challenges and prizes" are planned from midday until 16:30 in the build-up to the squad's arrival, the club said, adding: "In the coming days, fans will be able pick up special brochures detailing the locations, timings and how to win prizes.

"More information on where these can be collected will follow shortly."

Image source, PA Media

Burnley boss Scott Parker told BBC Radio Lancashire after his side's 5-0 victory at QPR:

"It was a classy performance - I thought we were excellent.

"Everything we prepped for the game, the boys nailed it to a tee. We were pretty ruthless and I asked for that.

"It's been a busy week, full of excitement and joy and a bit of relief as well.

"We needed to switch that mindset and become this ruthless animal that we've been for large parts this year - we were superb."