It looked like a marriage of convenience when Vincent Kompany returned to the north-west of England to take up the role of Burnley manager last summer. The former Belgium defender had spent an illustrious 11 years down the road in Manchester, where he had met his Mancunian wife and brought up children whom he was bringing home. But after last night’s 2-1 victory at Middlesbrough, with goals from Ashley Barnes and Connor Roberts, he can add promotion to the Premier League to his romantic regional ties.
The Clarets had spent a decade under the rule of Sean Dyche, which petered out with his sacking and the club’s relegation last May. Many of the senior players left and there were serious concerns over the club’s finances, so the appointment of the relatively inexperienced Kompany was a risk.
