Burnley Community team had two reasons to celebrate although success on the pitch was not one of them.

For the club was victorious off the pitch following the success of its fourth annual event and also obtaining £5,000 Lottery funding for the second successive year.

The tournament, for players with learning difficulties, is now a permanent fixture in the football calendar -- attracting 21 teams from as far as Leeds, Rotherham and Sheffield.

While the host side failed to win any of the three categories, team manager John Melvin admitted he still had plenty to smile about.

"The standard of football is getting higher all the time. We weren't lucky this time around but I was delighted with the number of teams that took part.

"It was also fantastic to learn that we had obtained more lottery funding which will help with the running of our club."

Host side Burnley had to settle for runners-up spot in the Advanced section although they won four of their five matches. But Sheffield United, who had a 100 per cent record proved to be just too good.

The Burnley side included: Paul Heaton, Mark Stevenson, Andre Craven, Peter Davies, Mark Bowman, Steven Bentley, Craig Dilworth and Damian Redmond.

Rathbone United from Rochdale narrowly beat Rotherham 'A' to win the Intermediate section with Burnley finishing in fourth spot.

The Novice League was dominated with local rivals Preston, Burnley and Blackburn all fighting for honours, with Preston the eventual winners.

John praised fellow team managers John Black, Paul Williams, Mark Stevenson and Claire Sagar for their hard work and thanked Burnley Boys Club for their continued support.

This year's competition was sponsored by Marsden Building Society and Duke Bar, Burnley.