IAN Britton is acquainted with Roman Abramovich, but not to the extent that he’s been a guest on board one of the Chelsea billionaire owner’s many luxurious yachts.

In fact, he’s even had to buy his own ticket for when two of his former clubs go head to head at Stamford Bridge next week.

The 54-year-old is best remembered in Burnley for keeping the Clarets in the Football League in 1987, with the decisive goal in a 2-1 win over Orient on the last day of the season.

But that was towards the end of a career that had begun with Chelsea 16 years earlier.

His association with the Blues has remained strong throughout retirement, thanks to regular run-outs for the ‘Chelsea old boys’.

Yet even though he will be ensconced with the home supporters on Wednesday night, after missing out on a seat among Burnley’s sell-out 6,100 allocation, he will be right behind his beloved Clarets.

“It’s a good time to get them because Burnley are playing well and on a high,” said Britton.

“At the start of the season it looked a bit dodgy, but it takes time for a new team to gel and they are gradually getting there.

“It shows with the run that they’re on.

“Owen Coyle’s got them playing with confidence, I think he’s gradually getting the players in who he wants to play and I think he’s doing really well.

“And in the cup you can never tell what’s going to happen.

“It’s a one-off situation where Burnley haven’t got anything to lose but Chelsea have, and I think playing the way they are they’ve got a good chance.

“I think (Luiz Felipe Scolari) will put his best team out because every competition that you play in is vital, especially to get you into a European place as well, which obviously Chelsea usually do anyway. But unlike Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger, who do play the younger ones, I don’t think Chelsea will do that.”

The catalogue of expensive internationals now gracing Stamford Bridge and challenging for domestic and European honours on an annual basis is a world away from the yo-yo years, between the old Division One and Two, that Britton remembers.

“It would have been nice to play in the Abramovich era. I’ve met him, he’s alright.

“But I fulfilled my ambition to play football at a high level, so it’s no good thinking about turning the clock back. Maybe I was born too early!” said the Scot, who moved to the capital in 1969 from his hometown Dundee, aged just 15.

“They’ve got some quality players, like Manchester United and Arsenal, but they can afford it.

“Frank Lampard is class. He’s a proven goalscorer; 100 goals in the Premier League isn’t bad for a midfielder.

“I didn’t do too bad there in terms of goals. I got 30-odd I think. But Lampard gets that in a season!”

The stadium, too, is a much-altered arena.

“It’s vastly different now. There used to be the big wooden stand behind the goal and the shed,” he recalled. “I think the atmosphere’s a lot better now with the pitch being a lot closer to the fans.

“It’s a nicer place to play, but all the pitches are nowadays. You don’t see any of the mud that we used to play in now unless it’s pelting down with rain.

“I think the pitches now are immaculate.

“You can’t really blame any of the bobbles like we used to do.!

“But it’s great to see the club they’ve become, and nowadays they do take care of the ex-players whereas before they didn’t.

“I still go down and play with my old team-mates and those that were after me - there’s Ken Monkou, Keith Dublin, Clive Wilson, even Peter Bonetti was there for the last one that we played at Chelsea’s training ground in goal, and he’s 67!

“It was nice to see him again.

“He was a tremendous goalkeeper and I made my debut when he was in goal. They were good times.”

Yet although Britton experienced promotion with Chelsea, it’s difficult to match the euphoria felt by keeping Burnley alive.

“The Orient game was a big one. In my mind, and the supporters, the thought was ‘we’re not going down’. But I dread to think what would have happened to the club if we’d have got beat that day,”

said the ex-Claret, who has worked at Seedhill Athletics and Fitness Centre for the last 14 years.

“I don’t know if we would have continued because we were in dire straits at the time really.

“But the likes of Jimmy Mullen and Stan Ternent got them back up there and built it up and hopefully they’re going in the right direction.”