Claret and True
Whitto's recent testimony for the Lancashire Evening Telegraph
The London Clarets is Burnley FC's longest-established Independent Supporters Club, having been founded in the late '70s.
A question we are often asked is just why anyone in the metropolis would want or need to support the Clarets. The simple truth is that many of our members are originally from Burnley and the surrounding areas; Burnley FC plays a valuable part in maintaining the bond between the town and its exiles. That, of course, is not to say that all London Clarets are from the north - we have many born in the south who, whether through family ties or simple bad luck, have taken up the challenge of supporting Burnley.
Now, when it comes to matchdays, that's when the loyalty side of supporting a team situated almost 300 miles away really kicks in. Our most capable travel secretary runs organised trips on Britain's 'fabulous' rail network to almost all matches outside the south east (this despite his lifelong disability of being born in Yorkshire). A normal Saturday game at Turf Moor normally entails leaving either Kings Cross or Euston at around about 8am, many of our hardy travellers having to leave home at all sorts of ungodly hours just in order to get on the train.
Recently we have been travelling via Leeds, where
we manage to fit in a quick pint before heading to the cross-Pennine trundler and on to Burnley. We arrive in the town at around about 1 o’clock, our members already having had a council of war on the train to decide which hostelries we will visit for liquid refreshment and perhaps a bite to eat.
The
match! Ah, the pinnacle of the day, we would hope.
Sadly it often turns out to be a letdown, although
it does usually manage to spark some extremely
lively debate on the trip back to London. Once
again we take the cross-Pennine trundler to Leeds,
and make use of some friendly hostelries in the
city. Then back on the express to London, arriving
usually some time after 11 o’clock. For
many of our tired and weary travellers, the trip
will have lasted over 20 hours by the time they
get back to their homes.
It may sound strange, but home games at Turf Moor are probably our most difficult fixtures, especially in these TV years where fixtures are constantly being moved. Also, fixtures that are moved on police advice to earlier kick-offs cause no end of trouble, although most times this can be overcome by staying overnight in the town.
Supporting Burnley can be difficult at the best of times, and more so now in the fallout of the ITV Digital fiasco, where we appear to be the worst-hit club in the country if you listen to most of the stuff coming out of Turf Moor. But the simple truth is that Burnley is in your blood: no matter how disillusioned we get, we always come back for more. Some of our members go to literally every game - now, that's dedication. It can cost a fortune and ruin your private life, but once you are hooked, that's it - and if you're not at the match, you can only sit in front of Sky's Soccer Saturday, biting your nails and listening to a bunch of has-beens pontificating over the money pit that is the Premiership while Burnley concede a last minute equaliser at some far-flung outpost of the League.
We may have no money (and at present, no players); one of our top strikers could be on his way to Norfolk, and the future is not exactly bright, but we'll keep turning up, as long as they keep turning out, because we are Burnley and we are proud.
The London Clarets currently has a membership of over 350, not limited to those in the London area - we have members all over the world. Membership costs £12 per season, and for this you get 6 copies of our renowned magazine, as well as many other benefits.
Brent Whittam
August 2003
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