WHEN Burnley return to Europe next month vice-chairman Barry Kilby will be following in his dad's footsteps, having heard first hand the tales of the Clarets on the continent half a century ago.

Kilby was a boy when his dad Roy went to watch Burnley in Naples during the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup run of 1966/67, in a trip and a game that has gone down in Clarets folklore.

Burnley had won the first leg of their third round tie 3-0, but Napoli were ready for revenge in Italy. Although Harry Potts' side stood firm to claim a goalless draw, it was a hostile environment on and off the pitch.

As home fans set fire to objects and hurled them onto the pitch, a fracas was developing as Alberto Orlando spat at Burnley goalkeeper Harry Thomson - dubbed a 'God in a green jersey' for his performance that night. The melee continued down the tunnel but it was no easy escape for the visiting fans either, including the dad of future Turf Moor chairman Barry.

"I’ve got a photograph of him there, there was a big riot at the end of the game and he always told me that the few Burnley fans there got locked in the police station in Naples for their own safety," he said of Roy's adventure.

"I was never quite sure whether that was true or not or whether he just got locked in the police station, but I’ve got this nice memory of him going over there to that game.

"He told me all about it. There was a lady who was stationed there, a Burnley lady in Naples for her job, she came and protected them.

"I remember him very distinctly coming back with that story, I was just a boy then. It’s quite nice that we’re back now after all that time and all the history we’ve had, from the bottom and the Orient game, to get where we are now is fantastic and we’re out again on the European scene."

Burnley had beaten Stuttgart and Lausanne Sports to set up the tie with Napoli. Although the Italians were vanquished the European run would end at the quarter-final stage against Eintracht Frankfurt.

Fifty-one years on the club are back in Europe for only the third time in their history, but trips to the continent will have to wait for the Clarets after last week's Europa League draw handed them a Battle of Britain second qualifying round tie against Scottish Premiership runners-up Aberdeen.

But even being in the competition highlights how far the club have come in recent seasons.

When Kilby took over as chairman in 1999 Burnley were in the third tier and he admits European football was something that could never have been envisaged back in those days.

"Not really. Particularly the way it’s gone, the top clubs have got richer and richer. When I took over as chairman we were in the third tier," he said.

"The way we’ve recovered and built up is fantastic, it’s going to be quite something for us.

"I really hope we can get a bit of a run going. Thursday-Sunday can be hard though, but I’d love us to have a bit of a run in Europe for the fans and everyone.

"It can put the club on the map, the name is out there. We’re finding that now I think with a lot of interest from the foreign press.

"I hope we have a good run and let’s enjoy it."