The East Lancashire derby, also known as the Cotton Mills derby[1] and El Lanclasico,[2] is an association football rivalry between Blackburn Rovers and Burnley. The nickname originates from the fact that both Blackburn and Burnley are former mill towns. From a town standpoint there is a geographical reason for the rivalry as the two Lancashire towns only lie 11 miles (18 km) apart. Accrington Stanley F.C. is based in the middle, but is not regarded as a rival by either.

East Lancashire derby
Other namesCotton Mills derby, El Lanclasico
LocationEast Lancashire
Teams
First meetingBurnley 2–4 Blackburn Rovers
(27 September 1884)
Latest meetingBlackburn Rovers 0–1 Burnley
2022–23 EFL Championship
(25 April 2023)
Next meetingTBD
StadiumsEwood Park (Blackburn Rovers)
Turf Moor (Burnley)
Statistics
Meetings total106
Most winsBurnley (44)
Most player appearancesJerry Dawson (Burnley), Ronnie Clayton (Blackburn Rovers) (19 each)
All-time seriesBlackburn: 41
Draws: 21
Burnley: 44
Largest victoryBurnley 1–7 Blackburn
1888–89 Football League
(3 November 1888)
Burnley 6–0 Blackburn
1895–96 Football League
(18 April 1896)
Blackburn 6–0 Burnley
1914–15 Football League
(28 November 1914)
East Lancashire derby is located in Lancashire
Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers
Burnley
Burnley
Turf Moor – home of Burnley since 1883.
Ewood Park – home of Blackburn Rovers since 1890.

Following the founding of Turton F.C. in Edgworth in 1871,[3] several football clubs were formed in East Lancashire in the next years, such as Blackburn Rovers in 1875, Accrington in 1876 and Burnley in 1882. Rovers and Burnley played each other for the first time in September 1884 in a friendly match, with Blackburn winning 4–2. Between 1884 and 1888, the clubs met thirteen times, with Burnley winning seven matches and Rovers four. The first competitive league game between these two founder members of the Football League and former English football champions, took place at Turf Moor in November 1888, with Blackburn winning 7–1, their biggest win in the derby. Burnley's largest derby victory is a 6–0 win recorded in April 1896.

Burnley hold the better head-to-head record, as the side have won 44 games to Blackburn's 41 in major competitions. Including matches played in regional competitions such as the Lancashire Cup, Burnley have won 70 games to Blackburn's 65.

History edit

Burnley and Blackburn Rovers met for the first time on 27 September 1884. The match was played at Burnley's home ground, Turf Moor, in front of a 5,000 crowd, with Blackburn emerging as 4–2 winners. Burnley quickly gained revenge when they won 5–1 at the same ground in March 1885. Their first meeting in Blackburn took place at Leamington Road and ended 2–2. In total, the clubs met thirteen times between 1884 and 1888, Burnley winning seven games and Blackburn four.[4]

Blackburn Rovers and Burnley were among the 12 founder members of the Football league and took their places in the inaugural season, which was dominated by fellow Lancashire side Preston North End. The first league match between Rovers and Burnley was at Turf Moor and resulted in a 7–1 win for Blackburn. Rovers won the next season the home fixture by the same margin; Burnley remain the only team Blackburn have beaten home and away by this score line to this day. Over the first four seasons, before the league was split into two divisions, Blackburn performed the double over Burnley in each of the initial three seasons. In this period, striker Jack Southworth scored 12 goals in 10 appearances against Burnley, including Rovers' first ever league hat-trick.

Burnley recorded their first league victory over Rovers in December 1891, albeit in heavy snowy conditions and controversial circumstances. Burnley were 3–0 up at half-time at Turf Moor. After the interval, Lofthouse was sent off along with Burnley's Alec Stewart after a brief altercation, and the rest of the Rovers outfield players went with him. Only Blackburn's goalkeeper, Herbie Arthur, stayed on the pitch. Arthur appealed for offside as Burnley bore down on his goal. The referee quickly abandoned the game and the points were awarded to Burnley.[5]

Rovers continued to have the better of the fixture, registering five consecutive wins at home ground Ewood Park between 1892 and 1897, although Burnley recorded their largest victory against Blackburn in 1895–96, when they beat Rovers 6–0 with Tom Nicol scoring a hat-trick. The clubs were temporarily parted by Burnley's relegation in 1896–97, which was assisted by Rovers completing the double over them. In March 1913, the sides met each other for the first time in the FA Cup, with Burnley winning 1–0 at Ewood Park in front of almost 43,000 spectators, including 22,000 Burnley fans.[6]

After the First World War ended, Blackburn and Burnley played each other for 11 uninterrupted years in the top flight. Burnley experienced initial dominance, winning their first First Division title in 1920–21 and doing the double over Rovers. The mid-1920s saw three hat-tricks in two seasons by Blackburn players in the fixture, from Johnny McIntyre, Arthur Rigby and Ted Harper. Burnley were relegated to the Second Division in 1929–30. The two clubs would not meet again until Blackburn joined them in the second tier in 1935–36.

The first fixture in the Second Division ended in a goalless draw. Rovers won the return fixture 3–1, Jack Bruton scoring against his former club and again the following season. Bruton remains the only man to have scored for both clubs against the other, also having netted twice for Burnley against Rovers in the 1920s. Blackburn won the Second Division title in 1938–39, after which football was suspended during the Second World War. Burnley won promotion when the league was restarted in 1946–47 and also reached the 1947 FA Cup final. Burnley took three of the four points against Blackburn and finished third in 1947–48, while Rovers were relegated.[7]

Blackburn returned to the top flight in 1957–58, where they would stay until 1966. Burnley won their second First Division title in 1959–60, and between 1958 and 1966, they won eight of the sixteen league meetings against Blackburn, including four successive wins at Ewood Park. Both clubs were relegated in 1970–71; Burnley went down to the second tier, while Blackburn were relegated to the third tier. Burnley returned to the First Division two years later but upon relegation in 1975–76, they rejoined Rovers who had been promoted from the Third Division in 1974–75. Burnley again had the edge in the fixture, winning four of the six matches, with midfielder Peter Noble scoring in four of the games. Rovers went down again at the end of the 1978–79 season, but bounced straight back while Burnley moved into the opposite direction entering the Third Division for the first time at the end of 1979–80. Burnley won promotion in 1981–82 to set up a renewal of the fixture. The games in 1982–83 were both won by Rovers and would ultimately prove to be the last between them in the 20th century. Simon Garner scored all three Blackburn goals in the two games, two of which came from the penalty spot.

 
Chart of the comparative table positions of Blackburn and Burnley in the football league.

In the following 27 years both clubs had very different fortunes. Burnley were again relegated to the Third Division at the end of the 1982–83 season, which was quickly followed by relegation to the Fourth Division in the 1984–85 season. Both clubs would stay in their respective divisions until 1991–92, when Blackburn were promoted to the newly formed Premier League and Burnley were promoted to the third tier. Burnley were promoted to the second tier in 1993–94 but were relegated the following year, while Blackburn won the Premier League title, having been bankrolled by local businessman Jack Walker.[8]

Blackburn became the first and only Premier League winners to be relegated (until Leicester in 2023), in 1998–99, and were joined in the second tier by Burnley, who won promotion from the third tier at the end of the 1999–2000 season. The first meeting of the new millennium between them was at Turf Moor in December 2000. Rovers won 2–0, while Burnley's Kevin Ball was sent off. Blackburn also won the return fixture at Ewood Park with a scoreline of 5–0 and were promoted back to the Premier League at the end of the season.

Burnley won the Championship play-off in 2009 and were promoted to the Premier League for the first time, which also meant that the fixture would be played in the top division for the first time since January 1966. For the trip to Ewood Park, Burnley and Blackburn fans were forced to travel on designated buses. Blackburn won the first match at home, while the police made a total of 55 arrests as violence erupted inside and outside a local pub, who described the violence as one of the worst cases they had ever seen.[9] In the buildup to the return fixture at Turf Moor, Blackburn player David Dunn said in the local newspaper that he hopes "Rovers thump Burnley 10–0", by then going on to say "I hope they stay up". Blackburn completed the double over their rivals later that season, with David Dunn scoring the only goal from the penalty spot after a dive from Martin Olsson. After the game, 150 seats in the away end were ripped up and the sinks in the toilets were smashed, with 42 arrests made involving both fan groups.[10] Burnley were relegated at the end of the season, while Blackburn were relegated to the second tier at the end of 2011–12.

After the following three matches in the Football League Championship between both sides ended in draws, Burnley defeated Blackburn for the first time in 35 years in March 2014. At Ewood Park, Blackburn went 1–0 up but Burnley scored twice in the closing stages. Burnley were promoted to the Premier League at the end of the 2013–14 season but went down the following year. Burnley did the double over Rovers on their return to the second tier and also won the first ever League Cup meeting between both teams in 2017. Burnley also did the double over Blackburn during the 2022–23 season; after winning 3–0 at Turf Moor, Burnley defeated Rovers 1–0 at Ewood Park, claiming the Championship title at their rival's ground.[11]

List of derbies edit

# Season Date Competition Stadium Home Team Result Away Team Attendance H2H
1 1888–89 3 November 1888 Division 1 Turf Moor Burnley
1–7
Blackburn Rovers 3,000
+1
2 4 February 1889 Division 1 Leamington Road Blackburn Rovers
4–2
Burnley 2,000
+2
3 1889–90 26 October 1889 Division 1 Leamington Road Blackburn Rovers
7–1
Burnley 4,000
+3
4 22 February 1890 Division 1 Turf Moor Burnley
1–2
Blackburn Rovers 7,000
+4
5 1890–91 18 October 1890 Division 1 Turf Moor Burnley
1–6
Blackburn Rovers 10,000
+5
6 22 November 1890 Division 1 Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
5–2
Burnley 4,000
+6
7 1891–92 26 September 1891 Division 1 Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
3–3
Burnley 4,000
+6
8 12 December 1891 Division 1 Turf Moor Burnley
3–0
Blackburn Rovers 5,000
+5
9 1892–93 3 December 1892 Division 1 Turf Moor Burnley
0–0
Blackburn Rovers 10,000
+5
10 17 December 1892 Division 1 Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
2–0
Burnley 7,500
+6
11 1893–94 18 November 1893 Division 1 Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
3–2
Burnley 5,000
+7
12 23 December 1893 Division 1 Turf Moor Burnley
1–0
Blackburn Rovers 13,000
+6
13 1894–95 17 November 1894 Division 1 Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
1–0
Burnley 7,000
+7
14 12 January 1895 Division 1 Turf Moor Burnley
2–1
Blackburn Rovers 10,000
+6
15 1895–96 5 October 1895 Division 1 Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
1–0
Burnley 3,500
+7
16 18 April 1896 Division 1 Turf Moor Burnley
6–0
Blackburn Rovers 5,000
+6
17 1896–97 3 October 1896 Division 1 Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
3–2
Burnley 9,000
+7
18 7 November 1896 Division 1 Turf Moor Burnley
0–1
Blackburn Rovers 5,000
+8
19 1897–98 21 April 1898 Football League test match Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
1–3
Burnley
+7
20 23 April 1898 Football League test match Turf Moor Burnley
2–0
Blackburn Rovers
+6
21 1898–99 26 November 1898 Division 1 Turf Moor Burnley
2–0
Blackburn Rovers 12,000
+5
22 26 December 1898 Division 1 Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
0–2
Burnley 20,000
+4
23 1899–1900 7 October 1899 Division 1 Turf Moor Burnley
1–0
Blackburn Rovers 12,855
+3
24 1 January 1900 Division 1 Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
2–0
Burnley 14,000
+4
25 1912–13 8 March 1913 FA Cup Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
0–1
Burnley 42,778
+3
26 1913–14 8 September 1913 Division 1 Turf Moor Burnley
1–2
Blackburn Rovers 36,000
+4
27 1 January 1914 Division 1 Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
0–0
Burnley 48,000
+4
28 1914–15 28 November 1914 Division 1 Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
6–0
Burnley 21,700
+5
29 3 April 1915 Division 1 Turf Moor Burnley
3–2
Blackburn Rovers 25,000
+4
30 1919–20 13 September 1919 Division 1 Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
2–3
Burnley 20,000
+3
31 20 September 1919 Division 1 Turf Moor Burnley
3–1
Blackburn Rovers 20,000
+2
32 1920–21 15 January 1921 Division 1 Turf Moor Burnley
4–1
Blackburn Rovers 41,534
+1
33 22 January 1921 Division 1 Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
1–3
Burnley 43,000
0
34 1921–22 4 February 1922 Division 1 Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
3–2
Burnley 20,000
+1
35 11 February 1922 Division 1 Turf Moor Burnley
1–2
Blackburn Rovers 40,919
+2
36 1922–23 21 October 1922 Division 1 Turf Moor Burnley
3–1
Blackburn Rovers 29,000
+1
37 28 October 1922 Division 1 Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
2–1
Burnley 23,000
+2
38 1923–24 3 November 1923 Division 1 Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
1–1
Burnley 20,000
+2
39 10 November 1923 Division 1 Turf Moor Burnley
1–2
Blackburn Rovers 30,000
+3
40 1924–25 13 September 1924 Division 1 Turf Moor Burnley
3–5
Blackburn Rovers 16,000
+4
41 17 January 1925 Division 1 Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
0–3
Burnley 20,000
+3
42 1925–26 31 October 1925 Division 1 Turf Moor Burnley
1–3
Blackburn Rovers 26,181
+4
43 13 March 1926 Division 1 Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
6–3
Burnley 26,991
+5
44 1926–27 16 October 1926 Division 1 Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
1–5
Burnley 21,482
+4
45 5 March 1927 Division 1 Turf Moor Burnley
3–1
Blackburn Rovers 18,081
+3
46 1927–28 27 August 1927 Division 1 Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
2–1
Burnley 32,441
+4
47 31 December 1927 Division 1 Turf Moor Burnley
3–1
Blackburn Rovers 28,354
+3
48 1928–29 20 October 1928 Division 1 Turf Moor Burnley
2–2
Blackburn Rovers 35,694
+3
49 2 May 1929 Division 1 Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
1–1
Burnley 5,461
+3
50 1929–30 9 November 1929 Division 1 Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
8–3
Burnley 22,647
+4
51 15 March 1930 Division 1 Turf Moor Burnley
3–2
Blackburn Rovers 16,673
+3
52 1936–37 24 October 1936 Division 2 Turf Moor Burnley
0–0
Blackburn Rovers 32,567
+3
53 27 February 1937 Division 2 Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
3–1
Burnley 18,240
+4
54 1937–38 11 December 1937 Division 2 Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
3–3
Burnley 15,136
+4
55 23 April 1938 Division 2 Turf Moor Burnley
3–1
Blackburn Rovers 14,139
+3
56 1938–39 15 October 1938 Division 2 Turf Moor Burnley
3–2
Blackburn Rovers 29,254
+2
57 18 February 1939 Division 2 Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
1–0
Burnley 30,223
+3
58 1947–48 18 October 1947 Division 1 Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
1–2
Burnley 41,635
+2
59 6 March 1948 Division 1 Turf Moor Burnley
0–0
Blackburn Rovers 44,240
+2
60 1951–52 8 March 1952 FA Cup Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
3–1
Burnley 53,000
+3
61 1958–59 18 October 1958 Division 1 Turf Moor Burnley
0–0
Blackburn Rovers 41,961
+3
62 28 January 1959 FA Cup Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
1–2
Burnley 43,752
+2
63 7 March 1959 Division 1 Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
4–1
Burnley 27,071
+3
64 1959–60 17 October 1959 Division 1 Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
3–2
Burnley 33,316
+4
65 5 March 1960 Division 1 Turf Moor Burnley
1–0
Blackburn Rovers 32,331
+3
66 12 March 1960 FA Cup Turf Moor Burnley
3–3
Blackburn Rovers 51,501
+3
67 16 March 1960 FA Cup Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
2–0
Burnley 53,892
+4
68 1960–61 8 October 1960 Division 1 Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
1–4
Burnley 26,223
+3
69 25 February 1961 Division 1 Turf Moor Burnley
1–1
Blackburn Rovers 26,492
+3
70 1961–62 24 February 1962 Division 1 Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
2–1
Burnley 33,914
+4
71 17 April 1962 Division 1 Turf Moor Burnley
0–1
Blackburn Rovers 29,997
+5
72 1962–63 6 October 1962 Division 1 Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
2–3
Burnley 26,626
+4
73 2 April 1963 Division 1 Turf Moor Burnley
1–0
Blackburn Rovers 25,746
+3
74 1963–64 1 October 1963 Division 1 Turf Moor Burnley
3–0
Blackburn Rovers 24,345
+2
75 19 October 1963 Division 1 Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
1–2
Burnley 26,740
+1
76 1964–65 10 October 1964 Division 1 Turf Moor Burnley
1–1
Blackburn Rovers 21,199
+1
77 24 February 1965 Division 1 Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
1–4
Burnley 15,340
0
78 1965–66 9 October 1965 Division 1 Turf Moor Burnley
1–4
Blackburn Rovers 23,198
+1
79 1 January 1966 Division 1 Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
0–2
Burnley 28,013
0
80 1976–77 7 August 1976 Anglo-Scottish Cup Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
1–1
Burnley 11,012
0
81 27 December 1976 Division 2 Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
2–2
Burnley 22,189
0
82 8 April 1977 Division 2 Turf Moor Burnley
3–1
Blackburn Rovers 17,372
+1
83 1977–78 2 August 1977 Anglo-Scottish Cup Turf Moor Burnley
2–1
Blackburn Rovers 8,119
+2
84 26 December 1977 Division 2 Turf Moor Burnley
2–3
Blackburn Rovers 27,427
+1
85 27 March 1978 Division 2 Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
0–1
Burnley 24,379
+2
86 1978–79 12 August 1978 Anglo-Scottish Cup Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
1–1
Burnley 9,791
+2
87 26 December 1978 Division 2 Turf Moor Burnley
2–1
Blackburn Rovers 23,133
+3
88 14 April 1979 Division 2 Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
1–2
Burnley 14,761
+4
89 1979–80 4 August 1979 Anglo-Scottish Cup Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
2–2
Burnley 7,749
+4
90 1982–83 27 December 1982 Division 2 Turf Moor Burnley
0–1
Blackburn Rovers 20,439
+3
91 4 April 1983 Division 2 Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
2–1
Burnley 13,434
+2
92 2000–01 17 December 2000 Division 1 (2nd tier) Turf Moor Burnley
0–2
Blackburn Rovers 21,369
+1
93 1 April 2001 Division 1 (2nd tier) Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
5–0
Burnley 23,442
0
94 2004–05 20 February 2005 FA Cup Turf Moor Burnley
0–0
Blackburn Rovers 21,468
0
95 1 March 2005 FA Cup Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
2–1
Burnley 28,691
+1
96 2009–10 18 October 2009 Premier League Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
3–2
Burnley 26,689
+2
97 28 March 2010 Premier League Turf Moor Burnley
0–1
Blackburn Rovers 21,546
+3
98 2012–13 2 December 2012 Championship Turf Moor Burnley
1–1
Blackburn Rovers 21,341
+3
99 17 March 2013 Championship Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
1–1
Burnley 20,735
+3
100 2013–14 14 September 2013 Championship Turf Moor Burnley
1–1
Blackburn Rovers 15,699
+3
101 9 March 2014 Championship Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
1–2
Burnley 21,589
+2
102 2015–16 24 October 2015 Championship Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
0–1
Burnley 19,897
+1
103 5 March 2016 Championship Turf Moor Burnley
1–0
Blackburn Rovers 20,478
0
104 2017–18 23 August 2017 League Cup Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
0–2
Burnley 16,313
+1
105 2022–23 13 November 2022 Championship Turf Moor Burnley
3–0
Blackburn Rovers 21,747
+2
106 25 April 2023 Championship Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
0–1
Burnley 18,166
+3

Note: excluding games played during the First and Second World Wars

Head-to-head edit

Competition Games
played
Blackburn
wins
Drawn
games
Burnley
wins
Football League and Premier League 94 38 16 40
FA Cup 7 3 2 2
League Cup 1 0 0 1
Anglo-Scottish Cup 4 0 3 1
Totals 106 41 21 44

Source:[12][13]

Regional competitions edit

# Season Date Competition Stadium Home Team Result Away Team
1 1889–90 26 April 1890 Lancashire Cup final Thorneyholme Road (Accrington) Blackburn Rovers
0–2
Burnley
2 1890–91 30 May 1891 East Lancashire Charity Cup final Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
3–2
Burnley
3 1892–93 20 April 1893 East Lancashire Charity Cup semi-final Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
0–2
Burnley
4 1893–94 24 September 1894 East Lancashire Charity Cup final Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
0–3
Burnley
5 1894–95 9 March 1895 County Palatine League Turf Moor Burnley
0–1
Blackburn Rovers
6 8 April 1895 County Palatine League Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
4–3
Burnley
7 1895–96 14 March 1896 Lancashire Cup semi-final Deepdale (Preston) Blackburn Rovers
1–1
Burnley
8 19 March 1896 Lancashire Cup semi-final replay Hyde Road (Manchester) Blackburn Rovers
2–1
Burnley
9 1898–99 24 April 1899 East Lancashire Charity Cup final Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
2–3
Burnley
10 1900–01 14 January 1901 Lancashire Cup final Hyde Road (Manchester) Blackburn Rovers
4–0
Burnley
11 1901–02 2 December 1901 Lancashire Cup final Hyde Road (Manchester) Blackburn Rovers
1–0
Burnley
12 1902–03 20 October 1902 Lancashire Cup Turf Moor Burnley
1–2
Blackburn Rovers
13 1904–05 24 April 1905 East Lancashire Charity Cup final Turf Moor Burnley
3–0
Blackburn Rovers
14 1905–06 26 April 1906 East Lancashire Charity Cup final Turf Moor Burnley
2–2
Blackburn Rovers
15 1906–07 15 April 1907 East Lancashire Charity Cup semi-final Turf Moor Burnley
3–1
Blackburn Rovers
16 1907–08 30 April 1908 East Lancashire Charity Cup final Turf Moor Burnley
4–2
Blackburn Rovers
17 1908–09 27 April 1909 East Lancashire Charity Cup Turf Moor Burnley
3–6
Blackburn Rovers
18 1910–11 7 November 1910 East Lancashire Charity Cup final Turf Moor Burnley
0–1
Blackburn Rovers
19 12 December 1910 Lancashire Cup final Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
1–1
Burnley
20 23 January 1911 Lancashire Cup final replay Turf Moor Burnley
2–2
Blackburn Rovers
21 3 April 1911 Lancashire Cup final second replay Burnden Park (Bolton) Blackburn Rovers
0–0
Burnley
22 18 April 1911 Lancashire Cup final third replay Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
2–1
Burnley
23 1911–12 20 November 1911 Lancashire Cup semi-final Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
1–3
Burnley
24 27 November 1911 East Lancashire Charity Cup final Turf Moor Burnley
1–0
Blackburn Rovers
25 1912–13 22 September 1913 East Lancashire Charity Cup semi-final Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
0–0
Burnley
26 19 January 1914 East Lancashire Charity Cup semi-final replay Turf Moor Burnley
2–4
Blackburn Rovers
27 1913–14 6 October 1913 Lancashire Cup Turf Moor Burnley
3–0
Blackburn Rovers
28 1914–15 9 November 1914 Lancashire Cup semi-final Turf Moor Burnley
2–1
Blackburn Rovers
29 24 April 1915 East Lancashire Charity Cup final Turf Moor Burnley
2–0
Blackburn Rovers
30 1919–20 3 May 1920 East Lancashire Charity Cup Turf Moor Burnley
1–0
Blackburn Rovers
31 6 May 1920 East Lancashire Charity Cup Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
1–2
Burnley
32 1920–21 18 April 1921 East Lancashire Charity Cup Turf Moor Burnley
6–2
Blackburn Rovers
33 27 April 1921 East Lancashire Charity Cup Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
0–2
Burnley
34 1921–22 24 April 1922 East Lancashire Charity Cup Turf Moor Burnley
5–1
Blackburn Rovers
35 1 May 1922 East Lancashire Charity Cup Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
2–1
Burnley
36 1922–23 23 April 1923 East Lancashire Charity Cup Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
1–0
Burnley
37 1 May 1923 East Lancashire Charity Cup Turf Moor Burnley
1–0
Blackburn Rovers
38 7 May 1923 East Lancashire Charity Cup replay Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
2–0
Burnley
39 1923–24 5 September 1923 East Lancashire Charity Cup Turf Moor Burnley
2–0
Blackburn Rovers
40 10 September 1923 East Lancashire Charity Cup Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
2–0
Burnley
41 23 April 1924 East Lancashire Charity Cup replay Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
1–1
Burnley
42 1925–26 3 May 1926 East Lancashire Charity Cup Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
2–1
Burnley
43 1926–27 8 September 1926 East Lancashire Charity Cup Turf Moor Burnley
1–3
Blackburn Rovers
44 5 May 1927 East Lancashire Charity Cup Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
4–0
Burnley
45 1927–28 17 November 1927 East Lancashire Charity Cup Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
1–1
Burnley
46 22 November 1927 East Lancashire Charity Cup Turf Moor Burnley
3–3
Blackburn Rovers
47 1928–29 15 November 1928 East Lancashire Charity Cup Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
4–0
Burnley
48 22 April 1929 East Lancashire Charity Cup Turf Moor Burnley
2–1
Blackburn Rovers
49 1935–36 30 September 1935 Lancashire Cup Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
1–0
Burnley
50 1950–51 24 October 1950 Lancashire Cup Turf Moor Burnley
3–1
Blackburn Rovers
51 1951–52 24 April 1952 Lancashire Cup semi-final Turf Moor Burnley
1–0
Blackburn Rovers
52 1957–58 12 November 1957 Lancashire Cup Turf Moor Burnley
4–0
Blackburn Rovers
53 1960–61 25 April 1961 Lancashire Cup final Turf Moor Burnley
1–0
Blackburn Rovers
54 1961–62 30 April 1962 Lancashire Cup semi-final Turf Moor Burnley
3–2
Blackburn Rovers
55 1966–67 1 November 1966 Lancashire Cup Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
0–0
Burnley
56 7 March 1967 Lancashire Cup replay Turf Moor Burnley
0–2
Blackburn Rovers
57 1983–84 16 August 1983 Lancashire Cup Turf Moor Burnley
1–1
Blackburn Rovers
58 1985–86 13 August 1985 Lancashire Cup final Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers
1–0
Burnley
59 1987–88 4 August 1987 Lancashire Cup Turf Moor Burnley
2–1
Blackburn Rovers
60 1988–89 9 August 1988 Lancashire Cup Turf Moor Burnley
1–3
Blackburn Rovers
61 1989–90 8 August 1989 Lancashire Cup Turf Moor Burnley
0–2
Blackburn Rovers
62 1991–92 6 August 1991 Lancashire Cup Turf Moor Burnley
1–1
Blackburn Rovers

Note: excluding games played during the First and Second World Wars
Note: teams have fielded their reserve teams in the Lancashire Cup since the mid-1990s

Head-to-head edit

Competition Games
played
Blackburn
wins
Drawn
games
Burnley
wins
Lancashire Cup 27 10 7 10
East Lancashire Charity Cup 33 12 5 16
County Palatine League 2 2 0 0
Totals 62 24 12 26

Source:[14]

Total head-to-head edit

Competition Games
played
Blackburn
wins
Drawn
games
Burnley
wins
Major competitions 106 41 21 44
Regional competitions 62 24 12 26
Totals 168 65 33 70

Honours edit

Team First Division / Premier League Second Division / Championship Third Division / League One Fourth Division / League Two FA Cup League Cup FA Community/Charity Shield Anglo-Scottish Cup (defunct) Full Members' Cup (defunct) Total
Blackburn Rovers 3 1 1 0 6 1 1 0 1 14
Burnley 2 4 1 1 1 0 2 1 0 12

Source:[15][16]

Crossing the divide edit

Jack Bruton is the only man to score for both sides against the other. At Burnley, he scored 44 goals in 176 matches before Rovers broke their transfer record by paying £6,500 in 1929. Bruton would make 344 appearances for Blackburn, scoring 115 goals and also managed the club for a short period in the late 1940s.[17]

In the 1950s and 1960s, a few Burnley players moved to Blackburn Rovers. These included goalkeeper Adam Blacklaw, defender Walter Joyce and winger John Connelly. Blacklaw, a Scottish international, played 374 matches for Burnley and 110 games for Rovers. Connelly won the First Division with Burnley in 1960 and moved to Manchester United in 1964. He scored 103 goals in 260 matches for Burnley, including five against Blackburn. Connelly made 20 appearances for the England national team and was a member of their World Cup squad in 1966. After the tournament, he moved to Blackburn, where he played 110 games.[17]

Full-back Keith Newton, a youth product of Blackburn Rovers, played 357 times for the side before he joined Everton in 1969. After three years, he switched to Burnley in 1972 and won promotion to the top flight with the club in 1973. He played a combined record number of 593 occasions for Blackburn and Burnley in the league and cup.[17] Another full-back to make the move from Turf Moor to Ewood Park via another club, Leeds United, was Kevin Hird. Converted to a midfielder at Burnley, Hird – a lifelong Burnley supporter – netted for Rovers against Burnley on Boxing Day in 1978.[17]

In the early 2000s, two Blackburn players had loan spells at Burnley, these being Jay McEveley and Andy Todd.[18][19] David May, who played for Blackburn between 1988 and 1994, captained Burnley in his only season there in 2003–04.[20] Another ex-Blackburn player, Alan Mahon, joined Burnley in 2006, although he had a spell at Wigan Athletic in between. Mahon's Blackburn debut had come as a substitute against Burnley at Turf Moor in December 2000.[21] Andy Cole, who signed for Rovers for a then club-record £8 million in 2001,[22] spent six months on loan from Sunderland at Burnley towards the end of his career in 2008.[23]

In 2016, Owen Coyle became the new manager of Blackburn Rovers and became the first person to manage Blackburn and Burnley, where he was appointed from 2007 to 2010.[24]

Pranks edit

In the 1990–91 season, Burnley were eliminated by Torquay United in the Fourth Division play-off semi-final. After the match, a plane flew over Turf Moor with a banner saying "Staying down forever luv Rovers Ha Ha Ha". This prank has largely been attributed to former Blackburn striker Simon Garner, although he denies this, but does claim to know who was responsible.[1] The Burnley fans gained some revenge in 1994, after Blackburn Rovers were beaten by Swedish semi-professional team Trelleborgs FF in the UEFA Cup. The Burnley supporters changed a road sign to 'twin' Burnley with Trelleborg.[25]

For the match at Burnley during the 2009–10 season, Blackburn Rovers fans wore Owen Coyle masks to wind the Burnley fans up as Coyle had left Burnley for Bolton Wanderers. In the lead up to the return fixture in March 2010, the police allegedly foiled a plot by Burnley fans to paint Blackburn midfielder David Dunn's house claret and blue.[26] In May 2012, during Blackburn's home game against Wigan Athletic, Burnley supporters arranged a plane to fly over Ewood Park which read — In Venky's we trust-Burnley SU. Rovers lost the fixture 1–0 and were subsequently relegated from the Premier League. In 2014, at a Championship fixture at Ewood Park, Burnley beat their rivals for the first time in 35 years. Forty minutes into the first half, a plane flew overhead with a banner that read: "35yrs who cares? Venkys 4ever".

In 2015, a sponge inside a Blackburn Rovers birthday cake was found to bear the colours of Burnley; it was discovered that the maker was a Burnley fan.[27] The prank received further coverage on an episode of Judge Rinder, with the Blackburn supporter losing the case for compensation.

References edit

  1. ^ a b Hunter, Andy (18 October 2009). "Blackburn grab bragging rights over Burnley with cotton mill derby win". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  2. ^ "England - East Lancashire Derby - Blackburn Rovers v Burnley". My Footy Grounds. 20 November 2022. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  3. ^ Robertson, Neil (19 February 2014). "Turton FC may not be oldest football club in north west, new research suggests". The Bolton News. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  4. ^ Matthews, Martin (7 October 2009). "History of the Blackburn Rovers v Burnley derby: Part one". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  5. ^ Ashdown, John; Lutz, Tom (15 December 2010). "What is the coldest ever football match?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  6. ^ Simpson, Ray (2007). The Clarets Chronicles: The Definitive History of Burnley Football Club 1882–2007. Burnley F.C. p. 126. ISBN 978-0955746802.
  7. ^ Matthews, Martin (8 October 2009). "History of the Blackburn Rovers v Burnley derby: Part two". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  8. ^ Fox, Norman (15 August 1992). "Profile: Money, money, money man - Jack Walker". The Independent.
  9. ^ Chadderton, Sam (15 January 2010). "Nineteen Burnley fans charged after East Lancashire derby". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 15 January 2010.
  10. ^ Hunter, Andy (29 March 2010). "FA asks Burnley and Blackburn for accounts of derby crowd trouble". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  11. ^ Hurcom, Sophie (25 April 2023). "Burnley beat Blackburn to win Championship title". BBC Sport. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  12. ^ "Burnley football club: record v Blackburn Rovers". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  13. ^ Lewis, Tom (20 December 2007). "Anglo-Scottish Cup & Texaco Cup – Full Results". RSSSF. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  14. ^ All data is sourced from Simpson's The Clarets Chronicles (2007) and local newspapers.
  15. ^ "Blackburn Rovers football club honours". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  16. ^ "Burnley football club honours". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  17. ^ a b c d Matthews, Martin (9 October 2009). "History of the Blackburn Rovers v Burnley derby: Part three". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  18. ^ "Burnley borrow McEveley". BBC Sport. 11 December 2003. Retrieved 20 November 2009.
  19. ^ Goss, Patrick. "Burnley snap up Rovers star". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  20. ^ Mitten, Andy (30 June 2007). "David May: What Happened Next?". FourFourTwo. Retrieved 20 November 2009.
  21. ^ "Alan Mahon". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 27 December 2007. Retrieved 20 November 2009.
  22. ^ "Cole's fresh challenge". BBC Sport. 29 December 2001. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  23. ^ Parrish, Rob (29 January 2008). "Cole makes Burnley switch". Sky Sports. Retrieved 20 November 2009.
  24. ^ "Owen Coyle: Blackburn Rovers appoint former Bolton and Burnley manager". BBC Sport. 2 June 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  25. ^ Mitten, Andy (30 April 2005). "More Than A Game: Blackburn vs Burnley". FourFourTwo. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  26. ^ Peck, Brooks (7 May 2012). "There was a live chicken on the pitch during Blackburn's match against Wigan". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  27. ^ Flanagan, Aaron (17 March 2015). "Blackburn Rovers fan gets birthday cake cruelly sabotaged by rival Burnley supporter". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 20 September 2016.