MEE RELISHING FANS' RETURN

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Skipper raring to go as Turf Moor prepares to welcome back supporters

2021-08-11T12:20:32.902Z

MEE RELISHING FANS' RETURN

Skipper raring to go as Turf Moor prepares to welcome back supporters

2021-08-11T12:20:32.902Z

Captain Ben Mee is looking forward to the start of his 11th season in a Burnley shirt and seeing the fans back inside Turf Moor.

Mee recently clocked up a decade of service with the Clarets and will lead Sean Dyche’s side out against Brighton for Saturday’s Premier League opener.

And the defender – who has racked up over 350 appearances for the Clarets since his arrival from Manchester City – can’t wait to get started.

“It’s always an exciting time to get the season underway and finally get going after a tough pre-season. It’s exciting to get going and especially with the fans coming back,” said Mee.

“The fans are fantastic here. They get right behind us and teams find it a tough place to come.

“It’s an old-fashioned ground with the crowd right on top of you. It gives us a little bit of an edge, I think.”

Apart from the visit of Liverpool in May – when a limited number of home supporters were permitted – all of Burnley’s home games since March, 2020 have been played behind closed doors because of the pandemic.

In 2020/21, the Clarets were one of 11 Premier League clubs who had more away wins than home in a season.

And Mee is looking for more normal service to be resumed as the Clarets aim to improve on last season’s start when an injury-hit squad had to wait until their eighth game for an opening Premier League win.

“The home form was not good enough for us. We have been a lot better in previous seasons. That will be something we will look to address, definitely,” he added.

“We want to get off to a better start than we did last season. But towards the back end of the season we were performing well and not quite getting the results we deserved.

“The performances were okay and were good in lots of areas. We will look to build on that and hit the ground running.”

Mee’s own return from injury coincided with an upturn in the Clarets’ fortunes last season.

His first appearance following a thigh problem came in a 0-0 draw at Brighton in early November as the Clarets put only their second point on the board a week before their first win.

And Mee is hoping for another positive outcome against the Seagulls. “It’s always a good game between us, always close and tight,” the skipper told Premier League Productions.

“They’ve got some really good players, some talented players. It will be a tough start for us but, hopefully, with the fans back it will give us the edge.”