ROBBIE Blake has admitted that he would have been making the biggest mistake of his career had he left Burnley midway through last season.

Blake indicated in October that he was assessing his Turf Moor future after finding himself out of the starting line-up, suggesting that he might put in a transfer request if nothing changed within a month.

But the forward soon regained his place and went on to play a pivotal role as the Clarets were promoted to the Premier League.

Blake is in his second spell at Burnley and regards it as ‘his club’, so was always keen to stress that it was only a desire to play football that made him consider his options.

And the 33-year-old, who admitted boss Owen Coyle had been right to leave him out at the time because Burnley were in such fine form, now knows that he would have been left with massive regrets if he had departed and missed out on a chance to play in the top flight with the Clarets.

“Obviously now, yes, leaving would have been the biggest mistake of my career,” he said.

“But it wasn’t really like that. At the time I was just trying to assess my season and how I was going to get a chance.

“Luckily for me, though, with the gaffer and how he is, he said, ‘You’re not in the team and the team’s doing okay, but when you get your chance, take it and you’ll be in the team’.

“That’s what happened and I was just delighted to be at Wembley celebrating with the boys.

“And the Premier League is a league we’re looking forward to. There’s not really much pressure on us.

“We’re Burnley going into the Premier League and we can enjoy it and relax, and not have the pressure we had at the end of the season.”

And Blake was in no doubt about when his luck turned – the moment he donned his now famed ‘lucky pants’.

“It did genuinely change my season,” he recalled of the day he came off the bench to score at Coventry, cheekily revealing his underwear to the travelling fans.

“I wasn’t in the side and I didn’t know what was happening.

"Then Clarke Carlisle brought these pants in and said, ‘If you score when you come on, you’re going to have to wear them’.

“I scored within 10 mintues of coming on and the rest is history. I was in the side ever since.”