BURNLEY chairman Barry Kilby admits he has found room in his heart for Accrington Stanley.

And he is backing the Reds, and his counterpart Eric Whalley, to go all the way in their push for promotion.

"Eric and I go back a long time. He was manager of Great Harwood Wellington and I was his star player in defence," said Kilby, whose connections with Stanley extend through generations of his family.

"An awful lot of water has gone under the bridge since then and we've both come a long way. But it is great to see an old friend getting the success he and his club deserve.

"Although Burnley Football Club has always been my first love, Accrington is a neighbourly club that I've always had a real affection for and the family connections even go back to my grandad, Charlie Kilby, who helped to build the terracing behind the goals."

He added: "Obviously we would all be delighted to see Accrington Stanley back in the Football League. It's been a long old wait, but it will be worth it if they can just keep things going between now and the end of the season.

"Hopefully, the whole town will have something to celebrate in a couple of months and then we can both help each other out."