FOR many readers, the back page of a newspaper is their front page.

Sport is their obsession, especially football in this particular hotbed.

East Lancashire may not be able to compete with Manchester, London or Liverpool in terms of population but, for sporting passion, it’s up there with the best of them.

Our readers demand quality, and that’s what we constantly strive to deliver.

The Lancashire Telegraph has been covering Premier League football with Blackburn Rovers for the best part of 17 years.

And in the last year we have reported on two long-awaited top flight derbies, after Burnley – backed by our ‘Roar us to the Premier League’ campaign – made the step up, thanks to a brilliant win at Wembley last May.

Two weeks of derby build-up preceded the first meeting in October.

Such extensive coverage, on one game, is probably unheard of anywhere in the land.

Sadly, the Clarets’ spell in the top flight was short-lived, but we will be following their bid for another promotion assault every step of the way next season.

It was a happier end to the campaign for Rovers, as they recovered from the brink of relegation last season to record a top 10 finish for the fourth time in five years, undoubtedly boosted by the club’s ‘Take Back Ewood’ campaign that we supported.

Accrington Stanley, meanwhile, benefited from our Save Our Stanley campaign when the club was on the brink of collapse for the second time in their history.

After we helped raise £100,000 towards saving them from administration, the Reds recovered to have an outside chance of making the League Two play-offs, until their challenge faded in the last six weeks of a difficult season.

National newspapers may report on our teams, but we’re the only newspaper to cover Stanley, Rovers and Clarets on a daily basis.

When it happens both on and off the pitch, you will read about it first in the Lancashire Telegraph.

Our sports team, which has landed 10 national and regional awards during the past six years, brings you the big exclusives on a regular basis.