Alexander the great for Foley

The Clarets became the third team to be promoted behind champions Wolves and runners-up Blues, when they beat Sheffield United 1-0 in the play-off final at Wembley.

Alexander at 37-years-old celebrated the achievement – after suffering double play-off disappointment at Preston – by breaking the club record for most appearances in a season.

The former Preston man played in all of the Clarets' 61 games this season.

But records are nothing new to the Scotland international, whose appearance at Wembley was his 884th league and cup outing of his career.

Although the former Scunthorpe and Luton man made his name at right-back, he has played as a deep-lying midfielder under Burnley boss Owen Coyle this season.

Growing up at Luton, Foley realised Alexander was the perfect example to follow.

The Irishman said: "I look at someone such as Graham Alexander, who was at Luton earlier in his career and has played for Scunthorpe and Preston and has done so well at Burnley.

"I was reading up on the stats in the programme when we played up there before the game and he's played more than 800 games in his career.

"I've always liked him as a player and for someone of his age to still be playing at my level.

"To have made that many appearances is an example for a lot of players."

Foley has been heralded as "the most consistent player I've ever seen" by Wolves striker Chris Iwelumo.

The 24-year-old – aiming to win his first full Republic of Ireland cap against Nigeria on Friday – would love to emulate Alexander's reliability.

He said: "It's important you don't get carried away with yourself or get complacent because if you do, you can easily drop the levels of your game.

"After every match I think about what I've done right or what I could have better – how many times I've given the ball away, how many crosses I did or didn't get over.

"For me there's nothing worse than giving the ball away and I'm my own worst critic when I have a bad game."