East Lancashire derby
The East Lancashire derby, also known as the Cotton Mills derby and El Lanclasico, is an association football rivalry between Blackburn Rovers and Burnley. The nickname originates from the fact that both Blackburn and Burnley are former mill towns. From a town standpoint there is a geographical reason for the rivalry as the two Lancashire towns only lie 11 miles (18 km) apart. Accrington Stanley F.C. is based in the middle, but is not regarded as a rival by either.
| Other names | Cotton Mills derby, El Lanclasico |
|---|---|
| Location | East Lancashire |
| Teams | |
| First meeting | Burnley 2–4 Blackburn Rovers (27 September 1884) |
| Latest meeting | Blackburn Rovers 0–1 Burnley 2022–23 EFL Championship (25 April 2023) |
| Next meeting | TBD |
| Stadiums | Ewood Park (Blackburn Rovers) Turf Moor (Burnley) |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 106 |
| Most wins | Burnley (44) |
| Most player appearances | Jerry Dawson (Burnley), Ronnie Clayton (Blackburn Rovers) (19 each) |
| All-time series | Blackburn: 41 Draws: 21 Burnley: 44 |
| Largest victory | Burnley 1–7 Blackburn 1888–89 Football League (3 November 1888) Burnley 6–0 Blackburn 1895–96 Football League (18 April 1896) Blackburn 6–0 Burnley 1914–15 Football League (28 November 1914) |
Blackburn Rovers Burnley | |
Following the founding of Turton F.C. in Edgworth in 1871, several football clubs were formed in East Lancashire in the next years, such as Blackburn Rovers in 1875, Accrington in 1876 and Burnley in 1882. Rovers and Burnley played each other for the first time in September 1884 in a friendly match, with Blackburn winning 4–2. Between 1884 and 1888, the clubs met thirteen times, with Burnley winning seven matches and Rovers four. The first competitive league game between these two founder members of the Football League and former English football champions, took place at Turf Moor in November 1888, with Blackburn winning 7–1, their biggest win in the derby. Burnley's largest derby victory is a 6–0 win recorded in April 1896.
Burnley hold the better head-to-head record, as the side have won 44 games to Blackburn's 41 in major competitions. Including matches played in regional competitions such as the Lancashire Cup, Burnley have won 70 games to Blackburn's 65.