IT HAS been compared to Maradona's move from Barcelona to Napoli.

And for the two hundred or so Burnley fans who braved the elements to catch their first glimpse of new terrace hero Ian Wright yesterday, Turf Moor suddenly felt like the San Paolo.

After almost two decades in the wilderness, the nation's spotlight is back on the Clarets.

And for those there to see it first hand, they had to rub their eyes in disbelief.

Not since the arrival of Kenny Dalglish at Ewood has such a signing stirred the imagination of the sporting public in East Lancashire.

And make no mistake about it, though Ian Wright may now be approaching veteran status, he's still one of the biggest draws in the game.

Supporters arrived as early as 9.30 yesterday morning to ensure they got a prime spot to see their new idol.

And as I approached the ground a queue of people snaked its way out of the ticket office as fans snapped up new Wright merchandise as if it had gone out of fashion.

T-shirts and scarves emblazoned with the new club anthem 'Ian Wright, Wright, Wright' are selling like hot cakes while another batch of clarets shirts bearing the number 33 are already on their way.

The staggering demand has even caught the club by surprise.

"The whole town has got the Ian Wright bug. "Everyone is talking about the signing and it has put Burnley on the map," said Media and Public relations manager Danny Reuben.

"The ticket office has dealt with over 6,500 enquiries in 24 hours and the queues have been 500 metres long at times."

That was nothing, however, compared to the media circus in the press room as the world and his wife jostled for vantage points ahead of the press conference. Sky TV, Granada, the BBC and most of the national press were all represented.

But perhaps the most interesting name which stuck out on the guest list was that of the Brighton Evening Argos. Justin Allen had embarked on a 700 mile round trip to get a piece of the Wright magic.

Sent for an interview as part of a feature piece on Billy Smith - one of the men allegedly responsible for plucking Wright from non-League football - his journey had begun at 7am and was destined to finish close to midnight. He was bewildered by what he found.

"I just thought I'd come up on the off chance of catching a word but I can't believe the interest it's generated.

"I knew Burnley was a big club but this is amazing."

Finally, just after 2pm the man himself arrived looking chic, as you'd expect from a top footballer and TV personality.

Dressed in black baseball cap, tweed jacket and woollen hooded top, he coolly made his way to his seat on the platform, proudly marked 'Mr Ian Wright MBE.' To his left sat Ray Ingleby. To his right, Barry Kilby and Stan Ternent.

All four looked as though their birthdays and Christmases had been rolled into one.

The gathered Press pack hung on his every word and Wright the showman didn't disappoint, even cheekly attempting a quick impersonation of Ternent's Lancastrian accent from behind that now infamous gold-toothed grin.

Clearly overwhelmed by the attention, he even drew comparisons with Kevin Keegan's arrival on Tyneside.

"If this club is going places then I want to be a part of that," said Wright.

"Kevin Keegan did something like that at Newcastle and, though I'm not saying I'm going to do a Keegan, things can happen like that and if this is the move to do that then excellent."

Meanwhile, outside, the natives were getting restless.

Weather-beaten faces pressed up against the press room window as fans clamoured for a closer look.

Eventually, they got their wish and Wright emerged to meet his new adoring public.

Chants of 'Ian Wright, Wright, Wright' echoed in the air and, for 10 seconds or so, that knot of Burnley fans felt as though they were in heaven. "People are going to be scared of coming to Burnley now," said Daniel DiJohn, one ecstatic Claret from Accrington.

"It's a great signing," said another. "One of the biggest things to happen in the club's history."

Then, as quickly as he arrived, Wright disappeared....until the pandemonium starts again on Saturday.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.