It was a thundering header at the Bee Hole End, a goal that would become typical from the Irishman, who was big, strong, magnificent in the air and as good a target man as there has been in the British game over the last few decades.

He was also powerful on the ground and put away his fair share of goals at the end of the barnstorming runs down the middle, which became his trademark.

Hamilton joined the Clarets from Queens Park Rangers when Brian Miller paid £38,000 for him. He had signed for QPR from Linfield in 1978, but had found his route to the first team at Loftus Road blocked by the likes of Clive Allen.

He was an immediate replacement for Paul Fletcher, who was ready to join Blackpool, but his first season at the Club ended in disappointment as the Clarets were relegated to Division Three for the first time.

That summer, Burnley signed Steve Taylor and the duo developed a good understanding, with Taylor feeding off Hamilton for most of his 16 goals that season.

The 1981/82 season ended with the Third Division Championship and Hamilton was the top  scorer.

The season ended with Hamilton heading to the World Cup Finals in Spain, where he was one of Northern Ireland's biggest stars. He set up Gerry Armstrong's winner against Spain and scored a brace against Austria in the quarter finals.

In the 1982/83 season, Hamilton was again the Club's top scorer, with 13 in the League and six in the two cup runs that the Clarets embarked on.

Back in the Third Division in 1983/84, Hamilton netted 18 goals, the best return of his senior career, but his time at Turf Moor was soon to be over, as in the summer of 1984, ambitious Oxford United paid £95,000 for him.

He was just as successful at Oxford and proved to be popular with the fans at The Manor Ground, as they reached the top flight in 1985.

After leaving Oxford, he returned to Ireland, becoming player-manager at Limerick and latterly becoming the player-boss of Distillery.