CLARKE Carlisle believes Brendan Flood’s imminent return to the Burnley board can only strengthen the club’s chances of repeating the heroics of 2009.

Flood is set to return to the Clarets board after personal finance issues led to him resigning a year ago, when an Individual Voluntary Arrangement prevented him from being a director at a Football League club.

That IVA has since expired and the Rossendale-born businessman, who still holds a 25 per cent stake in the club, is ready to become the seventh member of a board that already contains Mike Garlick, John Banaszkiewicz, Barry Kilby, Clive Holt, Brian Nelson and Terry Crabb.

Flood, who watched Saturday’s 3-3 draw at QPR from the directors’ box, was one of the driving forces behind Burnley’s surprise promotion to the Premier League five years ago.

During his time as operations director, he provided the funds for signings and played a major role in appointing Owen Coyle as manager Carlisle was man of the match in the play-off final as the Clarets reached the top flight and sees Flood’s expected return to the board as a major positive.

“For a club at Burnley’s level you can never have too many people on the board with experience,” said the former defender, who retired last summer.

“I think everyone should welcome the return of Brendan. As a playing staff it’s very rare that you get to know with the directors but a few of the players did know him and said they liked him and that they trusted him too.

“After I left I saw Brendan more often and got to know him too.

“Everyone who was involved in the success we had played a big part. Bringing in Owen Coyle was a very key decision.

“It’s very rare now in an era of overseas investors to have a club like Burnley where the directors are all from Burnley or the region and care so much about the club, as Brendan does.

“You see some clubs where they think of it only as a business and don’t think about the supporters, but at Burnley when they make decisions they think about the supporters too. I think the club will always be in safe hands with people like that.

“And Brendan can use the experience of promotion last time to help the club to hopefully do the same again imminently.”

The Clarets sit third in the Championship table after the draw at Loftus Road, three points behind QPR, and Carlisle thinks automatic promotion is very achievable for Sean Dyche’s side.

“I think they’ve got a very good chance,” said the 34-year-old.

“It’s between QPR, Burnley and Derby and the team that finishes second will be the one that puts a run together of five or six wins now.

“There is absolutely no reason at all why that can’t be Burnley.

“The worst case scenario for them now is they’ll be in the play-offs. But you look at them scoring three goals at QPR, and I would fancy them in a two-legged game against anybody in this league.”