FROM the rain and ruin of Boxing Day to the fun in the sun at the Valley. It’s been some journey.

When the Clarets returned from Hull on December 26 it was to a town that was under water. Homes were ruined, businesses were wrecked.

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Football might have been the last thing on a lot of people’s minds then, and it was probably for the best. Burnley were fifth, they’d won one of their last eight games and the top two were getting away.

One hundred and thirty four days later the sun shone in south London. That miserable Boxing Day evening a distant memory.

Since then Burnley have played every team in the Championship without losing. It’s a staggering record that has carried Sean Dyche’s side to promotion, and now to the title.

Lifting the silverware, something the Clarets will do tonight because of the Football League’s ludicrous decision not to take the trophy known as ‘The Lady’ to the Valley, has been the target from the day Burnley were relegated from the Premier League a year ago.

It remained the target in the wake of the KC Stadium defeat. At that point most people would have snapped your hand off for automatic promotion. Not this side. They held a meeting and reiterated their goals. They wanted the title, and they were going to get it.

The away end roared out ‘23, 23 undefeated, playing football the Sean Dyche way’ at the Valley, and what a way it is.

This is now a post-war club record for a league unbeaten run and the staff and players should take immense pride in it.

This most brutal, relentless, unforgiving of leagues, where anyone can beat anyone and the games come so fast it’s hard to catch your breath. Half a season unbeaten. Majestic.

It’s been a team effort. Tom Heaton, Ben Mee and Scott Arfield have all started every game. Six others have started 37 of the 46.

The power of the collective can always outshine the individual and that is what the Clarets have shown. There’s some excellent players in this squad, but they’re better together.

It was a 20th clean sheet of the season for captain Heaton, one better than two years ago, and Burnley have conceded two less than the 37 they shipped in the 2013/14 promotion season.

Aside from that their record to then is almost identical. Twenty-six wins, 15 draws, five defeats, 72 goals scored and 93 points once again.

Burnley have lost just 10 of their last 95 games in the Championship. They’re too good for this level, but now the challenge is to be good enough to survive, and then thrive, in the Premier League.

But first let’s enjoy this moment. Heaton lifted an inflatable trophy in front of the away end once the pitch had been cleared in what were fantastic scenes.

And although it had been another clean sheet the gloves Heaton wrapped around that ‘trophy’ had been given a test.

Heaton, who will now hope to cap a stunning season with a place in England’s Euro 2016 squad, did his chances no harm with two brilliant low saves to deny Johann Berg Gudmundsson and Callum Harriott in the first half.

But by that stage the visitors were already ahead.

It had been an open start, Sam Vokes had fired over from a Scott Arfield lay-off and Andre Gray had hit the side-netting before the goal arrived on 20 minutes.

Dean Marney spread the ball left and Arfield, George Boyd and Stephen Ward skilfully combined before the latter squared to Vokes for a simple tap-in.

The Addicks looked to respond, but were thwarted by Heaton, while at the other end Gray lifted a shot over, as did Marney, with the ball finding its way into the joyous throng of travelling fans on more than one occasion.

If the away fans were celebrating, the home support were revolting.

They had promised more protests against owner Roland Duchâtelet and they duly delivered.

The game was paused early on to clear balls, toilet rolls and paper aeroplanes from Tom Heaton’s goal mouth.

And if the Charlton fans were fed-up at half-time, then six minutes after the break they were furious.

First Ward galloped away down the left, after another incisive Marney pass had ignited the attack, and sent in a centre which was glanced by Gray and collected by Boyd at the back post, who took a touch before firing beyond Nick Pope.

Two minutes later Marney, who was involved in all three goals on the occasion of his 200th Burnley appearance, launched a ball forward to Gray. The Championship’s top scorer then took advantage of what was an initial poor touch to race forward and shoot left-footed through Pope’s legs.

It was party time in the away end.

The game was stopped again midway through the half as a Charlton fan ran on the pitch to protest, while three smoke bombs were also thrown-on on separate occasions to disrupt the game.

It was Burnley’s day though, and nothing was going to spoil it.

The loudest roar of the afternoon came five minutes from time as Michael Duff replaced Michael Keane for his 384th and final Clarets appearance, with Heaton handing the captain’s armband to one of the club’s great servants for the closing stages of a career that has now taken in three promotions to the Premier League.

What a player, and what a team.