ONE punter is set to collect more than £8,000 should the Clarets secure promotion as bookies prepare for a six-figure payout overall.

A bet of £5,000 on Burnley to win promotion from the Championship was staked online with William Hill on March 3, just two days after Sean Dyche’s men beat Derby 2-0.

The bet was placed by a customer living within 10 miles of Burnley and, should promotion be secured, he will pick up £8,333.33 from the bookies.

William Hill is facing a £50,000 payout to customers on the Clarets going up, while Paddy Power is also looking at a ‘healthy five figure payout’.

Before a ball was kicked the Irish firm had taken a ‘few hundred pounds’ at 16/1. But after a promising start to the season one punter was convinced of the Clarets’ credentials in October, backing them for promotion for £800 at 5/2, for a return of £2,800, and another punter backed them for £1,000 at 7/4 in February, and they will be collecting £2,750.

Coral also had the Clarets at 16/1 at the start of the season, and they were 18th favourites for one of the promotion spots out of the 24 teams.

Coral’s John Hills said: “Despite being rather friendless throughout the country, there was plenty of support for the Clarets within Lancashire post codes, in particularly in Coral’s Burnley shops.

“It just goes to show that football fans do keep the faith despite the odds. The majority of punters were probably betting with their hearts rather than their heads, but it looks like it is going to pay off and they will be collecting.”

Coral said the Clarets are likely to be 7/4 to survive in the Premier League next season, and they will be just 2/5 for an immediate return to the Championship.

Betfred said they had seen Burnley backed ‘for a few tenners from loyal fans in the Burnley area, but Burnley getting promoted will be a good result for us so we’ll carry on cheering the Clarets’.