BURNLEY in striker sale shock!

The only surprise so far is that headline hasn't screamed out from a newsagent's window in the run-up to the biggest home game of the season.

It still might happen, but should we really be that surprised?

After all, even back to the glory days of the 1960s, Burnley has always been a provincial, small town club known for selling its best players.

In the mid-1960s, it was even the norm for someone to leave every Easter, while the 1970s and early 1980s brought much more of the same whenever a talent emerged.

The exodus dried up during the late 80s and early-to-mid 90s - but that was simply because we had no-one worthy of commanding a fee!

However, if there was a difference between then and now, it's that in the past we've usually had someone new coming through the ranks to replace those leaving.

Just as we were known as a selling club, whichever way you look at it, we were also a conveyor belt of talent that kept the club afloat.

Should Ade Akinbiyi become the third leading goalscorer in as many years to leave for pastures new, there's no real back-up in the striking department and once again we'll be in the position of taking two steps forward and another one back!

The real victim in this latest saga is manager Steve Cotterill, who must have hoped to build a side around a proven Championship goalscorer with a career-best seasonal total in his sights.

I remember speaking to Steve shortly after his appointment, when he said he would need three years to get where he wants to.

Eighteen months down the line, he may argue he is no nearer achieving that aim should another prized asset be sold off to balance the books.

I'm left with a general fear that we could be missing out on a terrific chance of bringing the glory days back to Burnley.

Opportunities to join the Premiership elite don't come along that often and when the chance does come, you have to speculate a little. Take a little gamble.

In other words, snatch at it with both hands, not keep them firmly tied to the purse strings.

letsport@the-let.co.uk