THERE weren't just 11 winners at Turf Moor on Tuesday night. The thousands of Burnley fans who turned Turf Moor into a cacophony of noise also played a huge part in one of the greatest cup nights our famous old club has ever seen.

You sensed that as soon as the Liverpool team was read out, everyone believed Steve Cotterill's lads could pull off a cup shock.

And the vocal support from the stands must have been like 15,000 extra men as Rafael Benitez paid the full price for treating the FA Cup with contempt.

In the cold light of day the Reds' manager must appreciate he made a massive mistake.

Liverpool are synonymous with the FA Cup and their fans will be distraught at the manner in which he casually shrugged his shoulders at losing to a Championship club at the first hurdle.

Sure, kids need to be blooded at some stage, but surely it would be better to start with the big guns and when you establish a lead then introduce the youngsters.

Not only that, but you have to remember this is a spectator sport and some families will have spent around £100 travelling to watch Liverpool in action.

Not that any Burnley fans will be complaining mind you. They would have paid double that just to see the look on Benitez's face at the final whistle and judging by the number of people jumping around when I left the 100 Club later that night, most of that was spent on celebratory drinks!

All over the pitch, Burnley had heroes, but I'm sure would be the first to express his delights and thanks to the fans who lifted them.

What a difference from the Reading game last Saturday, when fans barely had an ounce of excitement to drag them off their seats.

It just goes to show what a 'cup final' can do, and Steve will now be wanting his side to treat every league game like that between now and May - starting at Cardiff.

Whether they can do that with Richard Chaplow in the side remains a moot issue. West Brom seem pretty serious about throwing the teenager in to a Premiership dog-fight and it becomes a big decision for Steve and the Burnley board.

Tying Richard up on a long-term deal early into the manager's reign at least seems to have protected a playing asset and there's no doubt any substantial fee would come in useful - as would any player(s) involved in a swap deal.

But whatever the outcome, one thing is clear: Steve Cotterill's final decision will be trusted by all fans.

Not once has the manager let supporters down with any of his signings or loans and he remains hell-bent on getting the absolute best deals for Burnley Football Club.

If that means sacrificing the best young talent to come out of the club in decades, then so be it.