It's the plane Burnley still remember. When the Clarets, then languishing in the old Fourth Division, had just lost in the play-offs to Torquay in 1991, a plane flew over towing a banner declaring: "Staying down forever. Ha ha ha. Love, Rovers".
Rumour has it Blackburn legend Simon Garner was
involved in the stunt. Such is the antipathy between fans of the Lancashire sides who meet in the top flight tonight for the first time in 45 years, the two clubs agreed only the managers and captains would publicly discuss the game, lest tensions be inflamed.
When Rovers and All Whites captain Ryan Nelsen was asked yesterday if the occasion compared with rugby internationals between the All Blacks and Australia in his native New Zealand, he scoffed.
"I've been to several All Blacks versus Australia games and they're absolutely yawn festivals compared to this fixture," said the defender, who featured when the sides last met in the FA Cup fifth-round tie five years ago. Rovers won with a Morten Gamst Pedersen strike six minutes from time in a replay.
"The average New Zealander, who's generally a rugby supporter, just wouldn't be able to get their heads around what's going to be experienced".
Absence has made the rage grow stronger, where these sides are concerned. Twelve miles (19km) separate the mill towns, but the distance could be covered in permafrost. The supporters of the two clubs despise each other so much the security operation by Lancashire police will be a throwback to the dark days of the 1970s.
A convoy of 60 coaches carrying the 3000 away fans will travel from Turf Moor to Ewood Park for the match. The game kicks off at 1pm, but supporters must report to Turf Moor no later than 9.15am. Any Burnley fan trying to travel independently will not be allowed into the stadium, a measure Clarets supporters condemn.
Peter Pike, chairman of the Clarets Trust, said: "These arrangements are seen by many as draconian and an infringement on civil liberties. To assemble nearly 3000 fans so early and get them to the ground so long before the kick-off really is very questionable and is not a factor that will lessen pressures and problems."
Violence has marred the fixture for decades. When Burnley lost a Second Division game at Ewood Park in April 1983, manager Frank Casper was forced to appeal for calm among the travelling supporters after asbestos tiles were ripped from the roof of the Darwen End and used as missiles.
Blackburn supporters refer to their Burnley counterparts as the "Dingles", a derogatory reference to the devious and incestuous family in the television soap Emmerdale.
In Burnley, Blackburn are simply referred to as "B - - Rovers". Recent meetings, in the FA Cup and Championship, have coincided with clashes in nearby towns and villages. A heavy police presence now goes with the territory, hence the security measures.
A Burnley spokesman said: "This fixture is very high profile. As a result, there is perceived to be a risk of public disorder if measures are not implemented."
The roots of the enmity are unclear, but reports of trouble and bitterness stem back to the 1950s and beyond. Historic tensions between two towns forged by a cotton mill rivalry during the industrial revolution suggests that even the first meeting, during the inaugural season of the Football League in 1888, was a battle for the pride of two towns rather than their football clubs.
Blackburn's rise under Jack Walker widened the gulf in the 1990s and a 17-year gap in hostilities between 1983 and 2000 highlighted the clubs' contrasting fortunes. The two have not met in the top flight since New Year's Day, 1966. Burnley, who prevailed that day, must reach back 30 years for their last win.
"This one has got more of a special edge because you don't get to play it that often," said Nelsen, whose side need to put local passions aside after a poor start which leaves them fifth from bottom, with trips to Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford up ahead.
"My memories of the last game are of an eruption of noise and to win that game was a special memory. There are 25 players absolutely itching to get picked for this game. There could be some broken hearts when the team is named."
Nelsen is 32 today and the Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce is 55 tomorrow but there will be no gifts on offer from either of the Football League's founder members. Allardyce made no pretence about who was under pressure.
"Right from the day Burnley were promoted, I knew this was the game that was going to be talked up," he said. "We're expected to win. We're the home side and we've been in the Premier League longer so all the pressure lies with us. It will be a frantic start. 120mph stuff."
Allardyce will also tell his players they need to exercise control both to win and avoid any disciplinary problems. He believes referee Chris Foy has a significant part to play.
"I'm not trying to put any extra pressure on the officials - Chris Foy and his assistants are very experienced so they will understand what it's about. Chris will have handled derby matches before and will know what's going on and calming players down with the right word in their ear at the right time will be very important."
Derbies are not entirely alien to Allardyce's opposite number, Owen Coyle, of course.
"They say it's intense, but you have to remember I grew up in Glasgow," he said. "I also played in the Dundee derby with United."
Coyle has bumped into Allardyce at a golf day and charity dinner lately and did what he could to nurture a spirit of neighbourliness yesterday.
"We should be very proud of having two clubs in what are perceived to be small towns playing in the best league in the world. So let's show all the good things."
Burnley, with four straight away defeats to go with the Turf Moor performances which make them the first newly promoted side since Watford in 1982 to win their first four at home, have no new injury worries. Allardyce is missing Vince Grella, who picked up a thigh injury on international duty with Australia and Steven Reid, with Achilles trouble.
Blackburn hold the edge in meetings with Burnley, winning 39 games to the Clarets' 37. Coyle's side can, however, take solace from their recent record at Ewood Park, losing just four of their last 12 trips, including seven victories.
Tim Sherwood, who captained Blackburn to the 1995 Premier League title, never crossed swords in a Rovers-Burnley derby but admits the rivalry was intense even when the clubs were poles apart.
"I went to Burnley once and someone told me, 'You shouldn't be here. You've crossed the line'. I went to a restaurant there with a friend and a bloke came up to me and said, 'Seriously mate, you'd better get yourself away from here, I'm just giving you a little friendly warning, it's not good for you to be here'. The geezer was pretty serious, so I took his advice."
Burnley have already taken three points from Manchester United this season, but a victory at Ewood Park would surpass even that result.
Captain Steven Caldwell said: "This is the biggest game of the season for me. I was up at the Old Firm game in Glasgow recently and I think, because Celtic and Rangers play each other so much, there's definitely a bit of edge off that one.
"They are used to it now, whereas this is going to be quite harum-scarum. I love that and I really cannot wait." Independent, Daily Telegraph, and agencies
Blackburn Rovers captain Ryan Nelsen, used to tangling with the likes of Carlos Tevez, will face a fired-up Burnley attack tonight. Photo / Getty Images
It's the plane Burnley still remember. When the Clarets, then languishing in the old Fourth Division, had just lost in the play-offs to Torquay in 1991, a plane flew over towing a banner declaring: "Staying down forever. Ha ha ha. Love, Rovers".
Rumour has it Blackburn legend Simon Garner was
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