A BUZZ of anticipation. A rush of excitement. The feeling of following in the footsteps of heroes.

It's surely every supporter's dream to emerge from the tunnel and run on your own team's hallowed turf while wearing the colours.

As a football-mad youngster, I can date that feeling back to the Christmas Day I opened a pristine box containing my first Burnley kit.

The shirt embossed with the number 11 worn by my playing hero, Leighton James, was virtually welded to my back on park pitches until, resembling a mini-Hulk, I finally outgrew the ever-expanding cotton!

It took a further 31 years to finally follow in Taffy's footsteps - so in parallel with those formative years perhaps it was fitting that my shirt was once again stretching at the seams!

But hey, a dream is a dream - and this was no time for complaining about a kit (or a waistline) that has seen better days.

The grand occasion was Burnley's brainwave to throw open the Turf Moor gates for a weekend and offer fans the chance to be 'A Claret For a Day'.

Knowing the Accrington Clarets (now the Stanley Street Clarets) as I do - there was no way such a motley crew of cocky young upstarts and desperate 30-somethings (of various shapes and sizes!) were going to miss out on the opportunity of a lifetime.

And at the knockdown price of £400, we soon had a 15-man squad to face a rival team that even Stan Ternent would have been proud of.

Even adopted Accrington Claret Joel Pilkington - no stranger to the Turf Moor pitch himself after breaking through intro the first team last season - was curious to tag along and check if our lads had the talent they had been bragging about for so long.

As the title would suggest, the money earned you the right to change in the dressing room, march onto the pitch in unison and, crucially, play your little heart out from the first whistle to the last.

The lads loved it - although there was a conspicuous - and entirely understandable -tendency to hog the ball a little longer than might have been the case on pitch five at Memorial Park!

The opening goal also brought a predictable reaction, with hyped-up, hyperventilating grown-ups all heading for the stand, taking seats and applauding themselves in a comically choreographed routine!

I have no doubt many teams that followed over the course of the two-day event had their own little celebrations worked out - and why not?

After all, this was all about enjoying the once-in-a-career experience of playing a starring role at a venue that footballing legends have graced down the decades.

Sixty lightening-quick minutes later, a fully deserved 4-1 win was wrapped up, with special mention to striker Russ Lambert, who no doubt had a sleepless Saturday night replaying his 99th and 100th goals for the Stanley Street Clarets, achieved in only 80-odd games (though sadly, now far too old to be scouted!).

For everyone else, there was the memory of the day on specially commissioned DVDs. Over 120, each costing £10, were sold over the weekend - helping to take the total raised for Burnley Football Club to over £10,000.

Burnley commercial manager Anthony Fairclough said: "I know from speaking to everyone that it was a fantastic experience and one we look forward to repeating.

"The fact we had a waiting list shows how popular the event was and already some teams have booked again for next year, which we hope will be even bigger and better."

For such a simple concept, you have to wonder why clubs like Burnley and Blackburn haven't done this type of thing more regularly in the past.

Me. I'm already hooked. Only next year, bagsy the number 11 shirt.