A LASTING memorial to one of the Clarets’ most loyal servants has been unveiled as the next phase of a memorial garden.

Hapton-born Brian Miller will be remembered in the Turf Moor Memorial Garden, which opened in August last year. He spent four decades with the Clarets, racking up more than 450 appearances as a player before going on to serve the club as a coach, twice as a manager.

The tribute to Miller, jointly-funded by the Turf Moor Memorial Garden, Burnley FC and the PFA, has taken inspiration from an iconic image of the Burnley player before the Clarets’ fateful game against Leyton Orient more than 30 years ago. Miller led Burnley to the great escape in 1987 with a last-day win over Orient.

Miller’s daughter Gillian, who is one of several family members backing the project, said: “Burnley FC played a massive part in Brian's life, as player, coach, manager and lastly as chief scout.

"Our family is extremely proud that he should be recognised in this way."

Miller also served as chief scout before his retirement in the mid-1990s after which he was a regular Turf Moor visitor, supporting the Club from the stands until his death in 2007.

During his first spell as manager at Burnley his son Dave played for the Clarets and his daughter married Club captain Derek Scott, their sons Chris and Paul continued the Miller/Scott Turf Moor dynasty by both pulling on the famous Claret and Blue shirt themselves.

Gillian added: “We would like to thank the committee for all their hard work and for their kind contribution to the project. We understand that it will be completed in early May and as a family very much look forward to the unveiling of the memorial.”

A replica of the original Turf Moor dugout, complete with an image of Miller with his hands aloft, will also feature memorial plaques.

Peter Briggs, chairman of the Turf Moor Memorial Garden, said: “We wanted to recreate the original dugout as faithfully as possible with the iconic image of Brian. We’re delighted that Burnley Football Club and the PFA have helped make this possible.”

The Turf Moor Memorial Garden, the former Burnley Council-owned park, was developed by Sustainable Projects Ltd following fundraising over the last few years, culminating in Burnley FC donating £30,000.

Full details on how supporters can buy a plaque for the memorial can be found via www.turfmoormemorialgarden.com