Clarets Open To Fresh Investors BURNLEY have opened the door to outside investment in their push ... Clarets Open To Fresh Inve

At Wednesday night's annual general meeting, a special resolution to remove the restriction on the number of directors allowed on to the club's board was approved by shareholders.

Clarets chairman Barry Kilby hopes to attract more money into the club as a result, and aid Steve Cotterill and his side's bid to build on what has been a superb start to the season.

Kilby, who announced a retained loss of £2.1m for last season, insists the club is doing all it can to achieve their dream of a return to the top flight: "This will be my eighth year as a director and chairman of Burnley.

"I intend to continue, along with the other directors, into trying to steer this difficult course of keeping Burnley financially viable, while giving the best chance possible of reaching the Premier League.

"We've not been there for more than 30 years, and if we together can achieve this, I think it will be one of the greatest achievement this football club has ever had."

Although it has become something of a mantra around Turf Moor, the shareholders were shown the cold, hard facts that the club conntinues to "punch above it's weight" in the Championship.

Despite lagging in terms of budget in relation to the rest of the division, Burnley have prospered to climb to fourth in the table, despite being only 14th as regards player budget – out of 17 clubs who registered their figures, with a more realistic showing being 19th or 20th.

Kilby is determined, after the setback of the ITV Digital collapse, to keep the club on an even keel, although some supporters are eager to speculate to accumulate, fearful that Cotterill's ambition might lead to a move elsewhere.

Shareholder John Smith said: "We have got a great manager, but we need to give him a bit more help, otherwise I fear Steve may eventually take one of those offers that continue to roll past Burnley, and you may not be able to stop him."

Vice-chairman Ray Ingleby, repeating his appeal from earlier in the season, hopes to see more fans inside the ground to get behind the side and the manager: "We are all after one thing and that is to take Burnley into the promised land again.

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