GAZZAMANIA continued in Burnley last night as the England legend took to the pitch in Claret and Blue for the first time.

Turf Moor season-ticket holder and Lancashire Evening Telegraph feature writer GILL JOHNSON was there to welcome the latest addition to her beloved team and capture some of the Gascoigne magic for herself...

IT was some occasion in Burnley last night. There he was -- England footballing legend Paul Gascoigne on the Turf Moor pitch, playing in the famous claret and blue colours.

It was enough to swell the usual din inside the ground to a deafening roar -- just imagine, one man who could manage to turn the volume up to full, by simply walking out of a tunnel!

More than 18,000 home fans turned up at Turf Moor to see Gazza make his much-heralded Burnley debut against Bradford and it was enough to turn the buzz which has swept through the town since his signing at the weekend into a climax of noise that could surely have been heard all the way back to Goodison Park.

Their first worry, however, was whether he would make the starting line up. Happily, manager Stan Ternent kept to the script and named him as a Clarets' midfielder.

"He's playing," was the murmur as the fans made it to their seats, ready to sit back and watch the player, dubbed the clown prince of football, strut his stuff for the Burnley cause.

The game was a sell-out for Burnley fans, who had responded to the club's astounding transfer coup by snapping up every available seat in the Bob Lord, Jimmy McIlroy and James Hargreaves stands in three days.

And they came from far and wide, from north, south, east and west to see the man who was the star of World Cup football in Italia 90, play his very first game for their very own team.

They bore Gazza shirts -- such has been the run on number 34 replica shirts that the club have run out of lettering -- Gazza scarves and Gazza masks. And as they waited for kick-off, they studied the special match programme, with yes, you've guessed it, Gazza, on the front page.

Then suddenly it was time -- and there he was. Three sides of the stadium stood to salute the player, whose silky soccer skills could lead them back into football's promised land.

And the uproar continued throughout his 80 minutes on the pitch, when he was substituted to a standing ovation.

A defence-splitting pass here had the crowd on their feet, a back heel there had them singing, while a clutch of curling free-kicks brought rapturous applause.

There was one moment of indignation, however, when he was booked for a foul by the man in black -- but odds of 5-2 on him being shown the yellow card might, at least, have put a bit of money in some fans' pockets.

The spectacle that is Paul Gascoigne displayed his obvious football talent to a doting audience at Turf Moor last night and when the performance moves to Sheffield United on Saturday, 5,000 travelling fans will be looking forward to more of the same -- please.