When Andy Payton signed for Burnley, it looked increasingly likely that the Clarets were on their way down to the Third Division, with the team struggling under rookie boss Chris Waddle.

A lifelong Claret, Payton joined his hometown team from Huddersfield Town in a swap deal with Paul Barnes going in the opposite direction and it didn't take 'Payts' long to get off the mark, as he scored on his home debut against Southend United in January 1998.

He went on to score nine goals that season as the Clarets avoided relegation on the final game of the season.

During the summer of 1998, a new manager arrived at Turf Moor in the shape of Stan Ternent and Payton carried on where he left off, top scoring in Ternent's first season at the helm with 23 goals in all competitions.

Having worked together before at Hull City, Ternent knew how to get the best out of Payton and the Whalley born poacher was one of the main reasons behind the promotion campaign in the 1999/00 season.

Ternent assembled a hard working and reliable outfit and with Payton so often on the end of things, a strong promotion charge was maintained throughout the season and it ended in success with a second placed finish confirmed on the final day of the season at Scunthorpe United's Glanford Park.

Payton's contribution was immense and he took the Second Division 'Golden Boot' award that season with 27 strikes in all competitions, including his 200th League goal in a game at Wrexham's Racecourse Ground after which he unveiled the now infamous 'Natural Born Claret' shirt underneath his kit.

Following Burnley's promotion, Payton contributed to consolidation in the First Division, scoring 15 goals in all competitions, but his opportunities in the first team dried up and he spent the following two seasons at Turf Moor as back-up following some unfortunate injuries and new additions to the first team squad.

At the end of the 2002/03 season, Payton announced his decision to retire from professional football, saying that he could never play for another team in the Football League and he received a fantastic reception from the Turf Moor crowd prior to the final home game of the season with Sheffield Wednesday.

Given his obvious eye for goal and ability, it is often wondered how he never started his career at Turf Moor, having gone to school only a goal kick away from Burnley's training ground at Gawthorpe.

The 'Padiham Predator' was signed on as a schoolboy at the club, but was released at the age of 15, a moment that Andy admits was the lowest point of his early career.

That setback didn't stop him though and Hull City was his next port of call, initially as an apprentice before he made his Football League debut as a young striker.

After over 50 goals in just more than 100 games at the old Boothferry Park, Payton was snapped up by Middlesbrough, who paid £750,000 for him in November 1991. He never really settled into life in the north-east though and at the end of his first season there, he was on the move again, this time to one of the giants of British football, Glasgow Celtic.

He spent a season and a half at Parkhead, during which he scored the winning goal in an Old Firm derby, before returning south of the border to Barnsley in 1993.

He continued to score goals aplenty for the Tykes, including two against the Clarets during the 1994/95 season when he was one of the most feared strikers in the First Division.

He moved to Huddersfield Town for £325,000 in 1996, but was there for just over a season before 'coming home' to Turf Moor.

In total, he made 178 appearances in all competitions for the Clarets, scoring 81 goals along the way and becoming a legend amongst Burnley fans as well as being the most prolific Burnley striker in recent seasons.