Birthplace: Stockport

Tyrone Mears was Burnley's first new signing ahead of their top-flight return and he proved to be one of the Claret's star players in the 2009/10 campaign.

The Clarets agreed a fee in the region of £500,000 with Derby County for the 26-year-old right-back, who signed a three-year deal at Turf Moor.

The defender quickly established himself in the side and went on to be an ever-present as he won plenty of plaudits for his consistent performances in the back four.

Mears started his career at Manchester City but after struggling to breakthrough to the first team joined Preston in July 2002.

He signed a three-year deal at Deepdale and went on to make 70 appearances for the Lilywhites, before being sold to West Ham for £1m in July 2006.

Mears made just six appearances for the Upton Park outfit in an injury-hit spell in London and after a loan spell at Derby, where he was a member of the team that won the Championship play-off final, completed a permanent transfer to Pride Park in the summer of 2007 for a £1million fee.

Mears made an excellent start to life in the Premier League and was one of the Rams' most consistent players until he picked up a stress fracture in January which ruled him out for three months.

He returned to action at the end of March and went on to score his first top-flight goal in April, capping a superb performance away at his former club West Ham.

In August 2008 Mears flew out to France to join Olympique-Marseille on loan, where he helped the team progress to the UEFA Cup quarter-final, before returning to England with the Clarets.