CLARETS legend Billy Ingham – aka the Ginger Pele – could be the key to making a Burnley play-off victory even sweeter.

Gingerbread men modelled on the Turf Moor ace, kitted out in the claret and blue, have been flying off the shelves at Oddies bakers’ shops in Burnley and Pendle.

And with appetites building for a crucial three days in the Clarets promotion push, against rivals Reading, bakers are putting their shirts on a victory for Owen Coyle’s boys.

Ingham, who made more than 200 appearances at the Turf, earned his nickname after a storming strike against Chelsea on St George’s Day in 1977.

Bakers cottoned onto the gingerbread men idea during Burnley’s FA and Carling Cup runs, with the wins over Fulham, Chelsea and Arsenal seeing 6,000 chomped by loyal fans.

The last time the Ginger Pele biscuits made an appearance was when Burnley won the Division Two play-off final against Stockport County in 1994.

Marketing director Lara Oddie, from the Nelson-based firm, said: “A number of our 240 employees are Burnley season ticket holders which means that Clarets performances are a constant topic of conversation around the company.

“So we thought we would increase the support base for the Clarets by putting Burnley shirts on our gingerbread men.”

The bakers have shops in Brownside Road, Padiham Road and Colne Road, Burnley, and various outlets in Padiham, Nelson, Brierfield and Colne.