7 games that defined Burnley’s promotion, from chastening early defeats, penalty heroics and derby delight

Many from the outside will just assume Burnley had it easy dropping down to the Championship, given the Premier League riches at their disposal.

But a chaotic summer, which saw 17 new players arrive and a further 21 depart, forced Parker to essentially assemble a squad off the back of a fag packet.

What followed was remarkable. In many instances, record-breaking. But it wasn’t all straight-forward.

Here, we take a look at the seven key games that defined their season, ranging from chastening early defeats, to James Trafford’s penalty heroics and, of course, a seemingly inevitable victory at Ewood Park.

Sunderland 1-0 Burnley, August 24, 2024

It might seem strange beginning with a defeat, but there can be no doubt this was a major turning point in Burnley’s season, even if it came just three games in. Behind the scenes, the Clarets came into the game in turmoil. Scott Parker has even admitted he didn’t know what players would be available to him up to and including the eve of the game, given the chaos of the final two weeks of the summer transfer window. Sander Berge, Anass Zaroury and Johann Berg Gudmundsson all departed during the build-up, while Dara O’Shea departed the day afterwards after seemingly pushing for a move. Further departures would soon be announced before the deadline, with Ameen Al-Dakhil, Vitinho, Zeki Amdouni and Wout Weghorst all moving on. As it was, Parker was able to piece together a respectable starting XI, with the likes of Han-Noah Massengo, Andreas Hountondji and Jay Rodriguez all starting. Given the shortage in numbers, two goalkeepers had to be named on the bench alongside three academy products. The match itself was a stinker and Parker cut a hugely frustrated figure during his post-match press conference. But perhaps this was the game that was the making of Burnley’s record-breaking side.

Leeds United 0-1 Burnley, September 14, 2024

It’s not a game that will ship many DVDs (although saying that, it was a barnstormer compared to the return fixture at Turf Moor), but this was a huge result in the context of Burnley’s season. This was the first real test of their promotion credentials and they passed it with flying colours. The Clarets were far from their free-flowing best, but we saw the first real signs of just how far they were willing to go to dig in and defend for their lives in a bid to grind out a result. They took the three points back to Turf Moor thanks to Luca Koleosho’s superb solo effort, capitalising on a slip to sprint from one half to the other before drilling into the far corner. Leeds, as you would come to expect, saw more of the ball, but they were limited to very little in the way of clear-cut chances. It says everything about Burnley’s defensive prowess that, despite Leeds scoring 95 times this season, they were unable to beat James Trafford in either game against Scott Parker’s men. Those four points were absolutely crucial.

Millwall 1-0 Burnley, November 3, 2024

Again, some might question why another defeat has been included in this list, but it’s the reaction it prompted and what came next that proved so pivotal. This was arguably the height of Burnley’s problems in front of goal, as they struggled to lay a glove on a stubborn and well-organised Lions backline. Millwall didn’t offer a great deal themselves either, but they took home the victory – inflicting the second and final defeat of Burnley’s league campaign – with a scruffy goal following a set-piece. At the time, it was the fourth game in seven Burnley had fired a blank. Online criticism was beginning to become louder and louder as fans vented their frustration with what they felt was aimless possession for the sake of it. While the Clarets remained defensively solid, they lacked any sort of a cutting edge. But this was all part of the journey and that narrative soon changed, as Parker slowly but surely began to build on the solid foundations put in place.

Sheffield United 0-2 Burnley, December 26, 2024

If the win at Elland Road in September gave Scott Parker’s side belief, this thoroughly deserved victory at Bramall Lane was certified confirmation of their promotion credentials. Burnley did a number on Chris Wilder’s side, producing a near-perfect away display to take the points thanks to Josh Brownhill’s back post strike and Zian Flemming’s deflected thunderbolt. Had the Clarets suffered defeat, they would have fallen seven points behind the Blades, but instead the gap to the top two was cut to just a single point. This victory was the highlight of a promising festive period for Parker’s men, who also recorded victories against Norwich City and Watford just before Christmas before playing out goalless draws with Middlesbrough and Stoke City. But the best was yet to come.

Blackburn Rovers 0-1 Burnley, January 4, 2025

If a 0-0 home draw against Stoke City, in a game where Hannibal was sent off for a stamp, felt like an underwhelming start to the New Year, Burnley fans needn’t have worried. Three days later, the Clarets made the short jaunt down the M65 to take on the old enemy and grinded out an ugly, but equally glorious, 1-0 win thanks to Zian Flemming’s header. The Dutchman immediately wrote himself into Burnley folklore with that winner, which came in front of the delirious away end, but he added the cherry on top when he celebrated at full-time by placing his jersey atop of a corner flag and paraded it around the 18-yard box. The win continued Burnley’s dominance against their East Lancashire rivals, having enjoyed a 14-year run without defeat and conceding just one goal in 11 meetings. After having to put up with Rovers’ gloating for so long, no doubt Burnley fans of a certain vintage will continue to have to pinch themselves at the Clarets’ supremacy.

Burnley 0-0 Sunderland, January 17, 2025

Putting aside James Trafford’s penalty antics for one moment, this game proved to be a sliding doors moment in Burnley’s season. Had the Black Cats stuck away one of their two late penalties and won the game, Regis Le Bris’ side would have gone above the Clarets and into the top two. Five days later, Burnley put their troubles in front of goal behind them to thrash struggling Plymouth Argyle 5-0. Fast forward four months to the end of the season, Burnley – who remained unbeaten, let’s not forget – finished the campaign a mammoth 24 points ahead of the Black Cats. Who knows what would have happened had Burnley’s unbeaten streak been ended, you’d still back them to bounce back. But it certainly would have been a big momentum shift had Sunderland claimed a late victory at Turf Moor. But that didn’t prove to be the case, mostly thanks to Trafford, who pulled off not one, but two remarkable penalty saves from Wilson Isidor to ensure the clean sheet and a point. In a season of exceptional performances, this was his defining moment.

Burnley 2-1 Sheffield United, April 21, 2025

For weeks, or possibly even months, many had anticipated this game – the third to last of the campaign – to be Burnley’s opportunity to finally leapfrog above Sheffield United, who had kept Parker’s side in third for much of the season. But a nightmare week for the Blades, which saw them lose three straight games, had already seen Parker’s men move five points clear. While Sheffield United were faltering, Burnley took full advantage, coming from behind in two out of their three games to put themselves in a commanding position. A victory sealed promotion, while a draw would have just delayed the inevitable for a few more days. But the Clarets were desperate to get it done in front of their own fans and they didn’t disappoint, claiming a 2-1 victory to seal that instant return to the Premier League. Surprise, surprise, it was Josh Brownhill who provided the two goals, turning up in the big moments as he so often does. The result never seemed in doubt. While the Blades put up a bit of resistance in the first-half, they had no answer in the second. All that was left was for Burnley’s superiority to be confirmed. Interestingly, even if Sheffield United had won all three of those games they lost during April, they still wouldn’t have accumulated enough points to stop the Clarets from going up.