Famous Trialists

[ClaretTony]

Besart Berisha ? Or did we actually sign him ?

Remember seeing him in a pre season friendly at Stanley but never saw him again.

That was a year after he’d signed for us

[ClaretTony]

Seem to think it being mentioned years ago that Michael Essien had a trial with us.
Just what we need now!

It’s a tale that really isn’t true. He trained with some of our young players as a favour to someone but definitely didn’t have a trial with us.

[Woodleyclaret]

Luton Sheldon played under an alias ,one of the youth team and earned a booking for the trialist

[arise_sir_charge]

Peter Adamson probably the most famous person to go in trial at Burnley.

[Stan Tastic]

Seem to think it being mentioned years ago that Michael Essien had a trial with us.
Just what we need now!

I don't think VK would be interested in signing a forty-year old retired midfielder to be fair.

[colner]

Peter Adamson probably the most famous person to go in trial at Burnley.

I once got his autograph as he was coming out of the Bob Lord stand,he was a regular on the Turf. When he was in court,i believe John Jackson was the prosecutor in his case,Jackson was a director for us

[sjb]

I once got his autograph as he was coming out of the Bob Lord stand,he was a regular on the Turf. When he was in court,i believe John Jackson was the prosecutor in his case,Jackson was a director for us

George Carman defended him & Adamson was acquitted.

[ClaretTony]

Don’t think Peter Adamson ever came near the Turf again after the trial

[dandeclaret]

Thanks Dande for this name,i knew Inchy took a German on trial,could have sworm there was a Hansa Rostock connection though,maybe he had a trial there too? After a bit of digging,another player we had on trial at the same time was Walter Nyamilandu Manda a Malawi international [possibly captained the national team],he is currently the president of the FA in Malawi. Not famous here obviously but will be in his homeland

Oh yeah, Walter Manda…. I’d forgotten about him. A happy summer making up chants for him after a few beers in our late teens

[spt_claret]

Signed after impressing for Albania at the Turf (v England B). Sadly did his ACL not long after and was eventually released/sold. Did score a worldie in the Stanley friendly you refer too, but Coyle never played him after that.

Scored a few more worldies when we loaned him out to Horsens and Rosenborg. Could never understand why he never got a game, I believe he only even sat on the bench once. Bizarre.
But then Van Der Schaff looked the bees knees against Inverness and his Burnley career lasted 45 minutes.

[yTib]

when i lived in baildon my next door neighbour said he'd had a trial with burnley i think around 1980ish.

they didn't take him on, no club did, but he said his experience with the staff was so positive and they treated him so well that ever since he's been a burnley fan despite having no other affiliation with the town or club.

[Claret1205]

John Hewitt, who scored the winning goal for Aberdeen against Real Madrid in the 1983 ECWC final, played 3 games on trial before 1992/93 season.

Won a Cup with us as well against Bury in the Lancashire Cup. Like to think that gave just as much satisfaction as the win over Real Madrid!

[Cirrus_Minor]

I was an apprentice with a lad whose dad came over from Northern Ireland to play for Burnley. His dad, last name Lewis, wasn't really a success. But player who came over with him certainly was, it was Jimmy McIllroy.

[Shaun1983]

Oj simpson

[ClaretTony]

Signed after impressing for Albania at the Turf (v England B). Sadly did his ACL not long after and was eventually released/sold. Did score a worldie in the Stanley friendly you refer too, but Coyle never played him after that.

Scored a few more worldies when we loaned him out to Horsens and Rosenborg. Could never understand why he never got a game, I believe he only even sat on the bench once. Bizarre.
But then Van Der Schaff looked the bees knees against Inverness and his Burnley career lasted 45 minutes.

Cotterill put him on the bench at Grimsby in the League Cup with the intention of bringing him on but other changes needed to be made and it didn’t happen. A week later he did his ACL on international duty.

Cotterill told me that he really regretted that Grimsby game because it meant he never got the chance to play him.

As for the goal at Accy, Coyle was asked about it at the Q&A night we organised and he was so belittling of Berisha.

We will never know whether he’d have been a good signing but that performance for Albania on the Turf would suggest he might have been.

[JohnMac]

A few sheepdogs - Jip, Rover, Jack and Bonzo

Sheepdogs are clever but what about those Horses that play Badminton?

[Lip]

I was an apprentice with a lad whose dad came over from Northern Ireland to play for Burnley. His dad, last name Lewis, wasn't really a success. But player who came over with him certainly was, it was Jimmy McIllroy.

That would be John Lewis,a great lad ..I worked with Ronnie Lewis his dad at Rolls and he was supposedly the best prospect of the two,but Ronnie said he enjoyed a pint and a few late nights .Pity as it would have been good to have had two Mcilroys in the same team.

[Cirrus_Minor]

That would be John Lewis,a great lad ..I worked with Ronnie Lewis his dad at Rolls and he was supposedly the best prospect of the two,but Ronnie said he enjoyed a pint and a few late nights .Pity as it would have been good to have had two Mcilroys in the same team.

Yes it was John Lewis. He is indeed a great lad and was a very decent footballer himself. I was also told that his dad was supposedly the better footballer.

[fungus_the_bogeyman]

Scott Oakes

[spt_claret]

Cotterill put him on the bench at Grimsby in the League Cup with the intention of bringing him on but other changes needed to be made and it didn’t happen. A week later he did his ACL on international duty.

Cotterill told me that he really regretted that Grimsby game because it meant he never got the chance to play him.

As for the goal at Accy, Coyle was asked about it at the Q&A night we organised and he was so belittling of Berisha.

We will never know whether he’d have been a good signing but that performance for Albania on the Turf would suggest he might have been.

Coyle belittling him doesn't shock me in honesty but is disappointing.

Just think it was mad to never give Bes a chance. The A League might be a poor standard but you can only score against what you're up against and he scored plenty, and looked mesmerising every time I saw him whether preseason or out on loan.