CLARETS fans have been praised by the club for their positive reaction to last season despite the desperate disappointment of missing the play-offs on the final day.

More than 10,000 have taken up the offer of discounted season ticket prices, a major increase on this time last season, and that has swelled the Turf Moor coffers by £2.15million.

With the anxiety created by the problems surrounding ITV Digital the club's chief executive Andrew Watson admitted: "It is brilliant news for us given the current situation.

"The Burnley fans are magnificent and have backed the club superbly.

"The influx of money from season tickets will allow us to set a budget properly because we know what has come in, although we must obviously wait to see what happens with the TV money."

To that end Watson was at Birmingham City's St Andrews ground for a meeting of all 72 clubs in the Football League to discuss the ongoing crisis.

"The meeting had been cancelled earlier in the week but it is back on today and I will be representing the club," he explained.

The figure for season ticket sales reached 10,350 earlier this week, compared with 9,000 at this stage last season, and ticket office manager Graham Raven explained: "Receipts of £2.15million are well up on the £1.5million a year ago."