IT was another Bank Holiday Monday to remember at Turf Moor as Burnley booked an immediate Premier League return with victory over Queens Park Rangers.
Two years ago it was Easter Monday when the Clarets beat Wigan 2-0 to secure what was then an unlikely promotion.
This time they’ve had to wait longer to seal the deal, but after rivals Middlesbrough and Brighton both slipped up this weekend Sean Dyche’s side were handed the opportunity to win promotion in front of their own fans on May Day.
For an hour it was a tense and tight Turf Moor as the Clarets struggled to find their rhythm against an obdurate Rangers side.
But when Sam Vokes glanced a header into the corner of the net the champagne was placed firmly on ice, and half an hour later the corks were popping.
It’s not easy to recover from Premier League relegation, just ask a QPR side who find themselves in the bottom half of the Championship this season. Burnley are the first team since Newcastle in 2009/10 to bounce back from relegation with automatic promotion the following campaign.
That says all you need to know about the resilience of this side. Countless column inches have been devoted to the sheer bloody mindedness of this Burnley outfit this season.
They weren’t at their best here, but they did enough. They nearly always do.
You don’t go 22 games unbeaten - matching the club’s post-War record - without being able to play a bit. But where lesser teams have lost or drawn when they’ve not found it easy going Burnley have ground out the points. They’ve been relentless.
And how fitting that it was Vokes who scored the goal to send the Clarets back into the top flight.
Two years ago he was magnificent alongside Danny Ings but missed the final weeks of the season after a cruciate knee ligament injury which also ruined his Premier League campaign. He celebrated against Wigan on crutches. He’s now back to his best and determined to prove himself at the highest level.
Joey Barton experienced plenty of ups and downs in his time at QPR and having been the target of opposing teams all season it was little surprise to see the Hoops target him and Sebastian Polter was lucky to stay on the pitch inside the opening five minutes for a crude, high lunge.
Tom Heaton was the busier goalkeeper in the opening half, saving from distance from Matt Phillips on two occasions and Junior Hoilett, when he gathered the ball at the second attempt.
It was a nervy Burnley in the opening half, with Vokes’ blocked volley from inside the area their only real chance, and they were nearly punished just before the break when Cole Kpekawa’s long pass was left by Ben Mee, but Heaton was off his line quickly to deny Michael Petrasso, who had been unable to control the ball.
The Clarets started the second half brightly and Scott Arfield came closest yet when he sent a volleyed lob just over the crossbar.
It had been an afternoon of frustration for Andre Gray and his first sight of goal on 53 minutes, after he turned Grant Hall from Stephen Ward’s pass, ended with him slicing a lob wide of goal, At the other end Rangers were now operating on the break and Mee did well to stick with Polter in a one-on-one and deflect his shot wide and from the resulting corner Clint Hill’s header was comfortable for Heaton.
Turf Moor erupted on the hour. Gray had been held back on the right edge of the area and David Jones sent in the free-kick which Sam Vokes glanced into the far corner.
QPR came close to an equaliser within 10 minutes with Alejandro Faurlin’s left-footed strike glancing off the post before a goalmouth scramble at the other end saw Scott Arfield’s goalbound drive brilliantly saved by Matt Ingram’s feet, with Vokes heading in the resulting corner only to be penalised for shirt pulling.
In the end it didn’t matter and the final whistle brought scenes of utter jubilation as the Turf Moor faithful swarmed onto the pitch. Burnley are back in the Premier League.
Burnley: Tom Heaton 8, Matt Lowton 7, Michael Keane 7, Ben Mee 7, Stephen Ward 7, George Boyd 7, David Jones 8, Joey Barton 7, Scott Arfield 7, Sam Vokes 8, Andre Gray 6 (Ashley Barnes 75)
Subs not used: Paul Robinson, Tendayi Darikwa, James Tarkowski, Matty Taylor, Lloyd Dyer, Rouwen Hennings
QPR: Matt Ingram, Clint Hill, Nedum Onouha, Grant Hall, Cole Kpekawa, Matt Phillips, Karl Henry, Alejandro Faurlin, Junior Hoilett (Conor Washington 63), Michael Petrasso (Nasser El Khayati 70), Sebastian Polter (Ben Gladwin 70)
Subs not used: Jou Lumley, James Perch, Reece Grego-Cox, Alex Prohouly
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