- Burnley celebrated finishing second in the Championship with a chart-topper
- One of the singer’s tunes has become an unofficial anthem for them this season
- LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off! Chris Sutton explains the harsh reality of being a manager: ‘I wasted a year of my life!’
Burnley’s players sang their hearts out with a chart-topping popstar in their promotion party on Saturday.
Turf Moor became a personal festival site for the Clarets as Scott Parker and his men danced around the pitch and lifted the second-place trophy after beating Millwall 3-1.
They had already been promoted via a 2-1 win at Sheffield United on April 21 but were unable to seal the title in front of their fans despite equalling Leeds’ tally of 100 points.
It marks an immediate return to the Premier League after an outstanding season in which they conceded just 16 goals. They will have a bus parade on Tuesday.
However, they managed a point fewer than in their previous promotion campaign under Vincent Kompany in 2022-23.
After getting in a sweat on the pitch, it was time to turn the dressing room into a nightclub as they welcomed a noughties pop sensation.
Burnley’s stars sang with Natasha Bedingfield on the pitch and in the dressing room
They celebrated their promotion to the Premier League, reaching 100 points by beating Millwall
Bedingfield’s ‘Unwritten’ has become an unofficial anthem for the club this campaign
The players huddled together, busted their moves, and chanted Natasha Bedingfield’s ‘Unwritten’ as the English popstar sang among them.
That’s right – Bedingfield, 43, whose 2004 single ‘These Words’ topped the UK charts, was in the thick of things as a special guest for the Lancashire side.
Her song ‘Unwritten’ (most easily identified by the lyrics ‘feel the rain on your skin’) has been an unofficial anthem for them this campaign.
Bedingfield performed for supporters and even shared a drink with manager Parker in the dressing room.
Mihailo Ivanovic had given Millwall a lead inside 11 minutes but Josh Brownhill restored parity a couple later.
Jaidon Anthony put the Clarets in the driving seat in the second half and Brownhill added another in stoppage time but they were unable to unseat Leeds for the throne.
Daniel Farke claimed his third Championship title on goal difference, having twice won it with Norwich, though Burnley still have a lot to be proud for.
The plight of Luton, who suffered a second consecutive relegation, shows the perils of the Championship even for sides who have come down, but Burnley never looked like they would struggle.
The Clarets conceded 16 goals all season and have bounced back to the top flight instantly
Scott Parker said his side had done ‘remarkably’ and was surprised they didn’t win the title (pictured with second-place trophy)
They only finished behind Leeds on goal difference after a stellar season in the second tier
Burnley thrashed Luton 4-1 in the first game of their season and battered Cardiff 5-0 in the next to set the tone for a domineering campaign.
At one stage they kept 12 consecutive league clean sheets, a sign of their solidity under Parker.
‘I’m so proud. We came into today hoping it would go our way, but wanting to win the game and get to 100 points, we did that,’ parker said.
‘If you’d have said to me you’d reach 100 points, 33 games unbeaten, 16 goals conceded and you wouldn’t win the league I’d have said “no chance”. We’ve done remarkably this year.
‘Over the past month or so, when we’ve gone a goal down, the players’ reaction is one of needing to get back in it. We were superb today, we had real quality, created numerous chances; on another day it could have been a lot more.
‘The challenge goes up a level or two next year. We’ve got a rock-solid foundation and we’ve proven that this season. We are going to rest, reboot and we’ll come into next year with a driving ambition to be as successful as we can.’
