Never one to avoid controversy, Joey Barton turns up late for Burnley celebrations

HAVING been relegated last season from the Premier League, Burnley have bounced back, winning the Championship in their first year in the second tier of English football, in no small part thanks to the efforts of their player of the year, colourful character Joey Barton.

He was one of the last to arrive at the official reception at Burnley Town Hall on Monday May 9 and discovered, together with defender James Tarkowski, that all of the Championship Winner’s medals had been handed out, as the club had inadvertently ordered just 25 rather than 27 from the Football League.

When the actual trophy was passed around the squad, Barton refused to touch it, preferring to hold an inflatable one he had taken from one of the supporters in the crowd, but he did appear to take it all in good stead, and tweeted: ‘No medal? What’s going on?’ 

The club wrote: ‘Burnley Football Club would like to apologise for the mix-up during the medal ceremony.

‘We would like to apologise to the Football League for this administrative error, and every player will be receiving one.’

Joining Burnley by finishing runners-up, and therefore being automatically promoted will be Middlesbrough, whilst the next four in the league will play a series of knock-out matches until one team will join the other two in being promoted to the Premier League.