Source: Team_Talk
Blake relishing Clarets campaign
Blake, 33, tasted glory in May when the Clarets overcame Sheffield United in the play-off final at Wembley.
The victory served to bury the ghost of three years earlier, when Blake was part of the Leeds side who missed out on an immediate return to the Premier League with a 3-0 defeat to Watford at the same stage.
And now, having experienced false dawns in the top-flight on two previous occasions with Bradford and Birmingham, Blake is ready to finally make an impact at the highest level with the club for whom he has made more than 200 appearances.
"It's fantastic to be promoted with this club," Blake said.
"I've spent a lot of years here and I've got a great affection for it. It's fantastic that Burnley Football Club, who nobody expected to be in the Premier League, are there pitting their wits against the best teams in the country.
"I'm 33 now and its great to be playing at this level at this age.
"It's nice to be given another chance. It was lucky for me in the play-off final and hopefully it will be third time lucky for me in the Premier League."
Blake has a fight on his hands for a place in the first team ahead of the team's Premier League opener at Stoke on Saturday, with record signing Steven Fletcher bolstering the Burnley front-line alongside Martin Paterson and Steven Thompson.
Manager Owen Coyle, who has also brought in Tyrone Mears, Brian Easton, Richard Eckersley, David Edgar and Fernando Guerrero on loan, expects competition to be fierce in all positions.
"For Burnley Football Club to be operating at a Premier League level, the players should be excited and busting the doors down to try and claim that first-team jersey, to make sure they're in that team and come Saturday, delivering on it," said Coyle.
"We're all thrilled to be a part of it - what we have to do is make sure we do ourselves justice."
The team have suffered a series of defeats in their recent friendly fixtures but Coyle said that preparations for the season had been good.
"I've been delighted with the lads' physical fitness," he said.
"Pre-season results are pre-season results, I don't think many people buy into them.
"Every game you enter you want to win, but the biggest thing about pre-season is making sure the players' condition is good for the start of the season and they are ready to go.
"That's what we've tried to do, we've really focused on that and we've trained extensively, so I'm sure on Saturday that will show."
Stoke 10/11, Draw 9/4, Burnley 10/3
