Family matters

The darling of the East Stand was your stereotypical footballer - a man of leisure, whose typical afternoon consisted of slouching on the sofa, surfing through the channels on satellite TV.

These days, however, Little is a man with responsibilities.

Four months ago, he became a father for the first time when his son Kieron was born.

And the amiable wing-man admits parenthood has come as something of a culture shock.

"It was a bit of a shock when I first knew I was going to be a dad," said Little.

"It's quite a big life change but, like most other people, it's something you learn to get used to."

So has it made him more responsible?

"I think it has to, because if you can't cope, you've had it.

"The main thing I've noticed is you never really get time for yourself.

"You are always wondering what he's doing and you've got to work everything around feeding times.

"But don't get me wrong, it's great."

Little's paternal instincts seem to reflect those of manager Stan Ternent. To the outside world, the Turf Moor chief can appear aloof, distant and a stern disciplinarian.

But to Little, who sees Ternent operate from the inside, he feels it's his way of throwing a protective arm around his players.

"I've heard the interviews and seen how he sometimes comes across," said Little.

"But the bottom line with Stan is he wants to do the best he can for Burnley football club.

"I think he probably felt things have been a bit sloppy around the place over the years.

"There's been things he's seen and heard that he's not happy about and he wants to keep it a close unit.

"Some managers think the press are great and get on with them really well but that does leave them open.

"With Stan, he doesn't take that risk.

"You take him as you find him and, if you don't like it, that's your problem.

"Under Chris Waddle and Adrian Heath, people got away with things and it was probably a bit too slap-Harry.

"But the club's a lot more disciplined now.

"You can't just come and go as you please and the whole place is a bit stricter.

"That's Stan's way of protecting us and you can't disagree with his methods because we are near the top of the League."

To hear Little talk of responsibility and discipline - at home and at work - will come as a shock to those who know him simply as Blakey - the dressing room comedian.

That was the name he was christened by his old Crystal Palace team-mates due to his antics as an amateur impressionist. Blakey - the inspector from hit seventies TV comedy 'On the Buses' - was one of his party pieces.

And thanks to Damian Matthew, the name stuck on his arrival in East Lancashire.

"I've got quite a few impressions but I haven't done them for a while," joked Little.

"I used to do one of Blakey from 'On the Buses' so the name just stemmed from there.

"Then when I came to Burnley, Damian remembered it from his days at Palace so he told all the rest of the lads and it's stuck ever since.

"But I think Chris Eubank is my best.

"My Sean Connery isn't bad either, although the boys give me a bit of stick for that.

"But I think it's quite good."

Brought up in Wimbledon, Little first broke into professional football at Crystal Palace after his childhood idol Steve Coppell took over as manager. However, he failed to make much of an impression during his time at Selhurst Park so, when he got the chance to play in Ireland with Derry City for a month, he seized it with both hands.

It was during that time, he was brought to the attention of Glentoran manager Tommy Cassidy.

And after he returned to find he was no longer required at Palace, Cassidy handed him a footballing life-line with a double-your-money offer to play in Northern Ireland, following a successful trial spell.

Despite the troubles going on around him, they were happy days for Little, who would fly in and out of the country on matchdays.

In his first season, the team won the Irish Cup which meant they qualified for Europe.

So Little was in the side which lined up against Sparta Prague in the Cup Winners Cup the following autumn.

"They had five Czech internationals in their squad and we lost 2-1 at home in the first leg," said Little.

"I scored the goal, which was something to treasure, but they scored the winner two minutes into injury time which was a real killer blow.

"Then, in the second leg two weeks later which I missed because of injury, we had a man sent off after 20 minutes and ended up losing 8-0 - 10-1 on aggregate.

"But I enjoyed my time at the club.

"You hear all the stories about the fighting but I think it's such a shame because they're the nicest people you could ever meet.

"I never saw anything, though, and I think the Irish people respected me for going out there.

"I think I was the first Englishman to go and play in the North. "But whatever you say about politics, football is football, and I think they looked on it as a release."

However, much as he enjoyed life across the Irish sea, Little always hankered for a return to England.

A clutch of clubs all chased his signature, including the likes of Sheffield United, Notts County and Motherwell.

But it was Burnley and Adrian Heath who eventually stumped up the cash.

Initially, it was a dream move and in his first month he played in the FA Cup at Anfield, the Preston derby in front of 16,000 and against Bury live on Sky TV.

However, Heath quit five months later and the arrival of another of his childhood heroes didn't quite have the effect he anticipated on his career.

"When Chris Waddle came I thought I had a chance - I thought he'd like the type of player I was.

"But for some strange reason it didn't happen.

"The most disappointing thing was I loved him as a player.

"But when he comes in and doesn't talk to you for for a couple of months, it's hard to take.

"What reason he had, I don't know.

"I did hear a comment that he thought I was only a 20 minute player at the end of a game.

"But that didn't make sense because I wasn't even on the bench."

Waddle did eventually see sense and Little has since developed into one of the Clarets' key players.

Yet, despite being linked with a host of bigger clubs over the last two seasons, the most notable being Sunderland, he's more than happy with life at Turf Moor. "Until the manager rings me and says 'right, you're going, we've accepted a bid,' you just get on with it.

"Speculation affects different players but it's never really bothered me.

"I'm happy at Burnley, they pay my wages and whenever I go out on the pitch, I will always do my best."

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