A FORMER Burnley starlet was overwhelmed after meeting his former team-mates for the first time in 40 years.

Pat Dooney, a fringe player in the Clarets’ 1968 FA Youth Cup winning side, arrived at the Gawthorpe training ground after a request to have a look around the training facilities.

But he was shocked to discover ex-players, including legend Steve Kindon and England international Dave Thomas, waiting to share their memories of the historic triumph.

Pat, a retired hinges and lock maker, also played for Oswestry, Wigan, Rossendale and Ashton Town.

The 64-year-old said: “I cannot put into words what happened.

“I tried to explain it to Mick Docherty – he was caretaker manager of Sunderland when they beat Liverpool 1-0 in 1981 to stay up.

“On that day I was probably putting the nets up at Ashton Town.

“I have not seen him for 40 years and he treated me no differently as the rest – I was on a park putting the nets up and he was in the dugout at Anfield and the way he treated me was brilliant.”

The reunion of the 1968 team that beat Coventry over two legs was organised by Burnley’s Former Players’ Association.

The Clarets lost the first leg 2-1 at Highfield Road, before securing the cup with a 2-0 win at Turf Moor.

Pat added: “I played one game in the run but I was in the squad yet they treated me as though I played in all the games with them. I played against Sheffield United and I was sub against Manchester United.

“I said to Dave that he scored the winner against United after we were 1-0 down and he couldn’t remember it!

“I said, ‘how can you not remember scoring a winner against United’.”

Veronica Simpson, of the Former Players’ Association, said : “ I thought it would be nice to surprise Pat, as he has never returned to Turf Moor since those days.

“This is exactly what makes my job so enjoyable.”