An injury to leading goalscorer Andy Gray in the victory over Leeds left Burnley entering the year short of options up front, although fans got a surprise on New Years Day with the announcement that fans favourite Ade Akinbiyi had rejoined the club from Sheffield United, whom he was sold to just 12 months earlier.

32 year old Akinbiyi re-signed for a fee of £750,000, 1 million less than the amount he was sold for.  He would have to wait to make his second debut for the Clarets though as the opening game of 2007 versus Stoke City was postponed.

The first competitive game of the year was away to Reading in the FA Cup.  Both Akinbiyi and Garreth O'Connor notched goals for the Clarets but that was not to be enough as the Burnley were defeated 3-2.

Two more players were added before the next game against Southampton.  Eric Djemba-Djemba (above) signed on loan from Aston Villa and goalkeeper Mike Pollitt also arrived on loan from Wigan.

A creditable 0-0 away against promotion chasing Southampton was followed by another signing.

Joey Gudjonsson 26, signed from AZ Alkmaar for a fee of £150,000.  Steve Cotterill claiming he could have 'nobody better for the money'.

The final 2 games of January both ended in 1-0 defeats leaving Burnley 15th.

One more signing was made before the close of the window.  Steven Caldwell signed from Sunderland for a fee rising to £400,000.

Two players also left the club in January.  Micah Hyde left to Peterborough and Frank Sinclair crossed the pennines to Huddersfield.

February was another bad month results wise as the Clarets picked up just 2 points from a possible 15 and dropped to 17th in the Championship.

March also passed with Burnley failing to win.  Again just 2 points were picked up from a possible 12 and now the Clarets were heading closer to the relegation zone.  The final game of March, a 0-0 home draw with Luton also marked the debuts of loan signings Paul McVeigh from Norwich City and Graham Coughlan from Sheffield Wednesday.

Burnley had now gone 19 league and cup games without a victory but on April 3rd the 3 points finally came the Clarets way.  A 4-0 victory against Plymouth Argyle with goals from Duff, Elliott, Jones and McVeigh ensured the winless run was ended in style. 

Two more victories quickly followed.  A 1-0 win away at Birmingham City was followed up by a 2-0 home victory against Cardiff City.

The final five games of the season ended with Burnley collecting a further 2 wins and finishing the season 15th on 57 points.

During the close season Danny Coyne, John McGreal and Graham Branch all left the club.  Also none of the loan players were retained although efforts were made to keep midfielder Eric Djemba-Djemba who had finished the season in style.

Four players were brought into the club.  Gabor Kiraly, a 31 year old goalkeeper was the first, signing on a free having been with Crystal Palace.  Besart Berisha who had featured in the friendly between England B and Albania at Turf Moor was signed for £340,000 from Hamburg SV.  Robbie Blake (below) returned from Leeds United for a bargain £250,000 and finally defender Stephen Jordan arrived on a free after being released by Manchester City.

The start of the 2007/08 season started well again for the Clarets with an impressive home win against promotion favourites West Brom at home.

Folowing the West Brom victory Burnley lost captain Wayne Thomas who signed for Southampton for 1.2 million pounds.  He was quickly replaced though by Clarke Carlisle who signed in from Watford for a fee of £200,000 and David Unsworth who had been released by Wigan Athletic.

Only one further league match was played in August.  A 2-0 defeat at newly promoted Scunthorpe United.  However, 2 League Cup wins over Grimsby and Oldham had Burnley progressing to the third round.

September was a good month  for the Clarets as they picked up 2 wins and 3 draws with just the one defeat and were nicely placed in 7th position.  Another defensive incoming with Graham Alexander joining from rivals Preston North End for a fee of £200,000.

October was to prove tougher for the Clarets and just one win in five, a victory against Norwich City at Turf Moor being the highlight.

November started quite well with a creditable draw away at Sheffield United but on 6th November Burnley were defeated 1-0 at home to Hull City in what was a very poor performance.

I don't think many fans expected what was to follow the Hull match but just 2 days later manager Steve Cotterill left the club.  Steve Davis was given temporary charge of the club.

In Davis' only match as manager he managed to get a great 1-0 victory away to Leicester City with the goal coming from Andy Gray.

Many names had been mentioned as Cotterills replacement.  Simon Grayson, Peter Reid and Mike Newell seemed to be the favourites but all were beaten to the job.

On 22nd November, St Johnstone boss Owen Coyle was named the new club manager.  I'm sure the majority didn't know a great deal about the man but the way he talked and the style of football he wanted us to play gave the fans fresh optimism.

Coyle's first game was a home 0-0 draw with Stoke City although the style of football he wanted Burnley to play was already evident.

Three great away wins at Watford, Charlton and Wolves followed, seperated only by a home draw with Leicester gave Coyle a great start to management at Burnley.

Unfortunately Burnley failed to pick up any further wins in their remaining 5 games of 2007 and finished the year where they started in eleventh position on 34 points.

Off the field plans are going ahead to re-vamp Turf Moor with changes to the Bob Lord Stand, a new stand to replace the away end, plans for Gawthorpe and new changing rooms. 

Along with the style of football we are currently enjoying under Owen Coyle, 2008 could be a great year for the Clarets.

Highs of 07:  Performances by Eric Djemba-Djemba.  4-0 victory over Plymouth ending the 19 game run.  The fantastic performances on Sky versus West Brom, Sunderland and Wolves.  The signings of Besart Berisha and Robbie Blake. The football played under Owen Coyle.  The ground plans.

Lows of 07: The 13 games in 2007 contributing to the 19 games without a win.  Being unable to keep Djemba-Djemba.  The injuries to Duff and Berisha.  Performances against Luton and Hull.

Feel free to join in on our messageboard and add your own comments of your personal highs and lows.