ONE OF Burnley’s greatest-ever players has died this morning.

Jimmy Adamson, captain of the 1959/60 Championship-winning team, died at around 10am at the age of 82.

Clarets legend Jimmy played over 400 times for Burnley in his one-club career and went on to coach and then manage the club.

In all he spent 29 years at Turf Moor from 1947 to 1976 and was one of the stalwarts of the Championship team, forming a formidable partnership with Jimmy McIlroy.

He is also the only Claret player to ever win the Footballer of the Year award.

A lounge at Turf Moor was named after him earlier this year.

Ashington-born Adamson gave three decades of magnificent service to the Clarets and is honoured at Turf Moor by a suite bearing his name, which was opened last year.

Recruited from East Chevington Juniors in Northumberland, Adamson joined Burnley’s groundstaff before signing his first professional contract with the Clarets at the age of 17 in January, 1947.

After playing in the junior and reserve teams, he made his first-team debut as a 21-year-old in February, 1951.

From then on, Adamson became a fixture at right-half, and occasionally centre-half, in the Burnley team which was being moulded by Alan Brown and then Harry Potts to become the best in England.

Adamson was an ever-present and captain of the team that reached its pinnacle as League Champions in 1960 and then two years later finished as runners up and losers in the FA Cup final at Wembley.

Personal consolation came in the shape of his selection as the 1961/62 Footballer of the Year and at the age of 33, Adamson was included in England’s squad for the 1962 World Cup in Chile.

Although he didn’t win an England cap, Adamson acted as assistant manager to Walter Winterbottom for that tournament and after the resignation of Winterbottom, was offered the position of England manager.

Adamson felt he lacked the experience to fill the role, with Alf Ramsey taking the job instead, and the Burnley man played on at Turf Moor until his final game in February, 1964 – his 486 appearances ranking him sixth in Burnley’s all-time list of appearances.

After hanging up his boots and ending the chapter of his career as one of Burnley’s finest ever players, Adamson joined the Turf Moor coaching staff and in 1970 completed the succession when he replaced Potts as manager.

He was to spend six years in charge and after suffering an early relegation, his ‘Team of the Seventies’ returned to the top flight in 1973 as Second Division champions.

In early 1976, Adamson left Burnley and had spells as manager of Sunderland and Leeds United, guiding the Yorkshire club to a place in the Uefa Cup in 1979.

Adamson settled back in Burnley in retirement and after a spell away from Turf Moor, made an emotional return to the club in January when the Jimmy Adamson Suite was opened in his honour.

Adamson leaves five grandchildren Jenny, Katie, Sarah, James and Sam.