THE Clarets have received royal approval for players to wear special shirts for the final home game of the season.

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of Burnley’s historic FA Cup triumph of 1914, the team will turn out in strips emblazoned with a royal coat of arms badge, instead of the usual club crest, when they face Ipswich Town, on April 26.

The regal stamp is the same one worn during the 1914 final 1-0 win over Liverpool, and was worn in honour of King George V, who presented the famous old trophy to Burnley captain Tommy Boyle.

The match, at the Crystal Palace Grounds, was the first occasion the reigning monarch attended professional football’s most prestigious fixture.

Special permission has been granted by Buckingham Palace to allow the club to use the emblem in the April fixture, meaning the shirts will probably not go on general sale.

But a spokesman for the club said the players’ shirts would be auctioned off.

He said: “There will be a limited edition run of the shirts, and we will do a charity auction at a later stage to allow the supporters to have a piece of history.

“The club is privileged to have obtained special permission from the Palace for the shirts to carry this crest.”

Also as part of the centenary celebrations, the club is finalising a 1914 FA Cup exhibition, featuring a range of artefacts. The club already owns, or has on long-term loan, souvenir publications, documents, and photos, relating to the success.

And, for the first time, the actual shirt worn by centre forward and scorer of the winning goal, Bert Freeman, will go on display after it was recently purchased by Clarets’ co-chairman, Mike Garlick.

Among other notable exhibits is a royal box edition of the official 1914 final programme. It was donated by Andrew Morris after the club appealed to fans for items for the exhibition.