Thousands of fans gathered in Burnley to toast the Championship winners on Tuesday night and striker Jay Rodriguez admitted he would have been among the crowds himself were he not on the open-top bus.
Burnley-born Rodriguez has risen from Turf Moor ball boy to a once-capped England striker and said earning promotion back to the Premier League this season ranked amongst the highlights of a professional career which began with the Clarets 16 years ago.
“For me, the impact it has on the town is the main thing,” the 33-year-old said before the players paraded their trophy from the town hall to Turf Moor.
“It’s a dream for me as a local lad, being a ball boy. Every time I go out to play on the turf it’s immense and to get promotion from the Championship, a really tough league, to the Premier League where I feel Burnley belong is surreal.”
A seven-year stint in the top flight came to an end for Burnley 12 months ago, but they have bounced straight back in Vincent Kompany’s first season in charge, piling up 101 points and clinching the title away to rivals Blackburn.
Rodriguez knows the challenge that awaits in the top flight, but the mood at Turf Moor is one of optimism.
“You don’t get carried away or too pessimistic, but I feel the sky’s the limit with what what we’ve learned this season,” he said. “We need to keep working, keep learning, keep listening to the manager, but if we keep doing that we can’t go wrong.
“Everyone is motivated. It’s the pinnacle to be in the Premier League, the best league in the world. We’ll be playing against the best, but we’re not finished yet.”
Kompany’s immediate success with Burnley saw him linked with Chelsea and Tottenham, but the former Manchester City captain last week signed a new five-year contract to reaffirm his commitment to the Clarets.
“It’s massive,” Rodriguez said. “As a player he was a legend for Manchester City, he’s a legend in football and as a manager I’ve learnt so much from him in what he brings to every single player.
“The work he puts in and his staff puts in, you can’t give less than 100 per cent because they give you more.”
While Rodriguez looks forward to the Premier League, Monday’s season-ending 3-0 win over Cardiff marked the end of an era for Ashley Barnes, who will leave the club after nine seasons during which the Clarets have been promoted three times.
Tuesday’s parade made for an emotional farewell for the 33-year-old.
“It’s been truly amazing,” he said. “To go outside and see all the fans in the street is really amazing and I was welling up there. It’s hard to take it all in.”
Barnes marked his final Burnley game with a goal on Monday, the ideal ending to what was sometimes a difficult season.
He failed to score in any of his first 14 games and was hauled off at half-time against Sunderland in October. But an injury to Rodriguez offered him a chance in the home derby against Blackburn and two goals brought his confidence back.
“I keep turning back to the Sunderland game,” he said. “I thought I was dead and buried. I thought I need to liven up here. But since Blackburn, that was the turning point. Unfortunately Jay got injured, but I got the chance and was lucky enough to score two goals. It really changed things.
“To score that goal on the final stage and on the final ending of my career here, it meant the world to have my family here.”
Man United could be without Toone until new year, says Skinner
Marc Skinner revealed that Manchester United could be without midfielder Ella Toone until the new year after she picked up a calf injury in training.
Toone has featured in five games in the Women's Super League this season, but is yet to register a goal or an assist so far this term.
The 25-year-old has missed United's last two games and was not selected in Sarina Wiegman's England squad for their upcoming friendlies against the United States and Switzerland.
She had previously appeared in a staggering 96 straight matches before missing United's WSL showdown with Leicester City last weekend.
But ahead of the Red Devils' meeting with league leaders Chelsea on Sunday, Skinner confirmed they would be without Toone for not only that game, but for the foreseeable future.
"We have three games [after the international break and before Christmas]. There's always the hope, but I think you balance and you go, 'right, if we can get her back, we get her back'," Skinner said.
"But we're just not going to rush her in this moment because it's a calf injury, it's your running mechanism. If we injure the running mechanism, it takes longer.
"So ideally we'd like her back for those games afterwards.
"The projection is she misses this game [Chelsea], she misses the international window, probably misses the first game after that, and then we'll see from there.
"But because it is such a short block of only three games, we'll assess whether it's worth that or actually resetting to come back after Christmas."
Al-Nassr 1-2 Al-Qadsiah: Aubameyang winner ends hosts' unbeaten run
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang hit the winner as Al-Qadsiah inflicted a 2-1 defeat on Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League on Friday to end their 21-match unbeaten run.
Cristiano Ronaldo's seventh league goal of the season put Al-Nassr ahead, but Al-Qadsiah replied swiftly through Julian Quinones before Aubameyang struck the decisive blow.
The hosts drew first blood in the 32nd minute when Ronaldo slotted home after Al-Qadsiah goalkeeper Koen Casteels had spilled a routine catch from Talisca's cross.
However, Al-Nassr's joy was short-lived when Quinones brought down Turki Al Ammar's delivery five minutes later, with the Mexcio winger firing past Bento to level the scores.
Quinones also played a part in the winning goal after brilliantly turning the ball back across goal from Nahitan Nandez's search pass to tee up a simple finish for Aubameyang.
The result sees Al-Qadsiah move level on 22 points with third-placed Al-Nassr, with Al-Shabab also level with them.
Stefano Pioli's Al-Nassr are six points adrift of defending champions and leaders Al-Hilal, who also have a game in hand.
Vlahovic out of Juventus clash with Milan
Dusan Vlahovic will miss Juventus' trip to Milan in Serie A this weekend and is also a doubt for the Champions League game at Aston Villa, head coach Thiago Motta has confirmed.
Vlahovic returned from the international break with a muscle problem in his left thigh, and the manager, after he confirmed the Serbian's absence for Saturday's game at San Siro, was asked about his chances of playing on Wednesday at Villa Park.
"I don't know. He definitely won't be there tomorrow. We hope to have him back as soon as possible," Motta told a press conference on Friday.
"Injuries are part of football. Now it's Vlahovic's turn, but we'll keep playing with the same principles, attacking and defending together."
Vlahovic is the latest of Motta's injury problems at Juventus. Argentine winger Nicolas Gonzalez missed the last six league games and is still unavailable, while Poland striker Arkadiusz Milik is a long-term absentee.
Brazilian midfielder Douglas Luiz will also miss the game with Milan and defender Juan Cabal recently suffered an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury, the same issue which will keep fellow defender Gleison Bremer out for the rest of the season.
"I'm really disappointed for Cabal because, like Bremer, he'll be out for a long time," Motta said.
"This is another reason to push ourselves, to commit that bit more so that these absences don't weigh too heavily."
Juventus go into the game as the only unbeaten side in Serie A but find themselves sixth in the standings in what is so far a very tight title race, with just two points separating Motta's side from leaders Napoli.
"It's very balanced and this is good for both us and the public," Motta said.
"We must all try to continue like this. We have to try to get as many positive results as possible."
Milan are one place behind Juve but six points off Motta's side.
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