Reporter Daniel Black on the club's success and how he defied expectations to seal their return to the Premier

After Burnley sealed an immediate return to the Premier League by beating Middlesbrough on Friday night, Daniel Black, head of sport at the Burnley Express, describes the turnaround in fortunes and style that Clarets manager, Vincent Kompany, installed in less than a year.

Kompany's impact

Kompany left the Premier League as a champion. The Manchester City legend could well return as a champion, too.

The former Belgium international signed off from Man City with a domestic treble after netting an iconic match-winning goal against Leicester City four years ago. 

That was the ex-centre back's parting gift for mentor Pep Guardiola, his team-mates and the City supporters as he took his tally of trophies into double figures from his 11-season stay at the Etihad. 

Now, the 36-year-old is set to return to the competition as a coach with Burnley. 

An inaugural managerial stint in England has exceeded all expectations, including those of Kompany, who was inducted in the Premier League Hall of Fame this time last year. Expectations that included his own.  

Exceeding expectations

"I never expected this, ever," he had told the media at various stages of this season. "I don't think any one of us expected it to go this well. It wasn't part of the plan when we had our meetings here six months ago." 

The ambition, however, is to earn Premier League immortality in his new capacity as a managers, joining celebrated Hall of Fame occupants Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger, who changed the landscape in the top flight during their highly decorated spells with Manchester United and Arsenal respectively. 

Kompany, who made 265 appearances as a player in the Premier League, had started out as a huge outsider to become the long-term successor to Sean Dyche at Turf Moor after Michael Jackson’s temporary stint had failed to stave off relegation. 

But once the rumour mill moved into overdrive, the Burnley faithful allowed themselves to get carried away on a flight of fancy.

The dream became a reality when chairman Alan Pace, who had led the takeover of the club less than two years previously, took a risk on the former Anderlecht coach, with ex-Wales striker Craig Bellamy as his No 2 appointed soon after. The rest is history.