Footy fans hail hilarious 'bantz' between Blackburn and Burnley police

Burnley and Blackburn fans are relishing a showdown following the Clarets' relegation from the Premier League with supporters praising police for their "bantz".

The Clarets were relegated back down to the Championship after just one season in the top flight following a 2-1 defeat at Tottenham last week. The squad had won just five of their 37 matches.

Burnley's relegation means the two clubs will face each other next season. Meetings between the two are fraught with rivalry and it was in 2014 that Burnley beat their East Lancashire neighbours for the first time in 35 years.

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The last time the two clubs met was in April 2023, just before Burnley were promoted, with the Clarets winning the fixture 1-0. Since 1888, Burnley have won 44 matches against their rivals, while Rovers have won 41.

Fixtures between the two rivals involve extensive planning between the clubs and police. Previous meetings have included restrictions on ticket sales so that Blackburn fans could only attend a fixture at Turf Moor if they travelled on the official away coach and interactions between the two sets of supporters being blocked by towering metal barriers.

Police forces typically have teams specifically tasked with overseeing a club's fixtures and liaising with officers from the corresponding area to identify known troublemakers and mitigate risks. This week the Rovers Police team sent a tweet to their Burnley counterparts which led to fans praising their "bantz".

Rovers Police said: "See you next weekend @BurnleyFCPolice" accompanied by a winking emoji. Burnley Police then replied: "We'll be seeing you" with sunglasses, owl and crying with laughter emojis.

Blackburn fan Andrew Dixon replied "I'm sure you are both looking forward to it" while another, Peter Todd, added: "Think of the overtime". One of Pete Charnley's followers tagged him and said: "Your mates with the bantz."