Burnley v Leeds United Sporting rivalries are a strange thing: competitors rarely enjoy them at the time, yet you sense the very best need them to reach heights they might not even know were in them.
How much faster was Sebastian Coe for having Steve Ovett breathing down his neck, or sometimes showing him a clean pair of heels on athletics tracks around the world? Would Novak Djokovic have been able to play the same incredible level of tennis had he not had to beat Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal in so many Grand Slam finals?
Would Alain Prost have pushed himself and his Formula One cars to such limits had he not had to see off Ayrton Senna? How much did every Lionel Messi goal or medal inspire Cristiano Ronaldo to go one better, and their clubs to do likewise when Barcelona and Real Madrid where the best on the planet?
In every case it worked both ways.
Last season Leeds United and Burnley were involved in the highest point-scoring title race in English second-tier football history, with Sheffield United pushing both hard until the final weeks. It drained manager Daniel Farke to the point of exhaustion last season, but he admits Burnley also made his team better.
The Roses rivalry resumes in very different circumstances at Turf Moor on Saturday.
Leeds won last season's Championship with 100 points, but only when Manor Solomon found the net in stoppage time of the final game of the season at Plymouth Argyle. Without it, the Whites would have still got promoted, but it would have been the Clarets parading the trophy around on an open-top bus tour.
Now they are rivals again, but in a much more crowded field, fighting it out to not be one of the three clubs relegated from this season’s Premier League. If both could do that, ideally along with fellow newly-promoted side Sunderland, it would be a breath of fresh air for a league where the last two relegation battles have been very predictable skirmishes which damaged the spectacle.
NEVER GOING AWAY: The Burnley team led by Scott Parker (background) offered no respite to Leeds United and their manager Daniel Farke (right) in last season's Championship (Image: Matt McNulty/Getty Images)placeholder image
NEVER GOING AWAY: The Burnley team led by Scott Parker (background) offered no respite to Leeds United and their manager Daniel Farke (right) in last season's Championship (Image: Matt McNulty/Getty Images)
For Leeds to achieve that feat, the habits they were forced into by the refusal of Scott Parker's ultra-obdurate side to go away, beating them at Elland Road and drawing at home, will come in handy.
In the Championship, where they were streets ahead of some in terms of resources and ability, it was about not falling prey to any sloppiness that might allow the Clarets and/or the Blades to take advantage. In the Premier League the challenges are on the other side of the halfway line at every kick-off, where there will always be 11 players well capable of beating them.
So whereas in January, Leeds' determination to hold their chasers at arm's length led to the mother of all bore draws, on Saturday at 3pm both sides will hopefully a far stronger urge to take three points off teams they can view as equals.
"They were not good for my heart and my nerves, for sure, because we needed a 95th-minute winner in the 46th game to win the league," says Farke of Burnley, embellishing the myth only by an extra four minutes.
ROSES RIVALS: Zian Flemming and Jayden Bogle in action at Elland Road last season (Image: George Wood/Getty Images)placeholder image
ROSES RIVALS: Zian Flemming and Jayden Bogle in action at Elland Road last season (Image: George Wood/Getty Images)
"It was a long, tough season and after the final whistle I was not able to celebrate. I had to sit down for a few moments because I was completely done.
"They made us a better team, yes, because we couldn’t allow ourselves to take one percent off the gas. Sheffield United also played an incredible season and Burnley were fantastic.
"To win the league, we couldn’t have had one less point so we definitely did it the hard way.
"Burnley playing a part to instill a culture and mentality of consistency and to keep going until the last second was helpful.
DRAMATIC GOAL: Manor Solomon (Image: Harry Trump/Getty Images)placeholder image
DRAMATIC GOAL: Manor Solomon (Image: Harry Trump/Getty Images)
"I would have preferred it the other way round – to half be on holiday at the beginning on April – but sadly it was not possible.”
Although Farke is too shrewd to get drawn into such discussions, it is clear Leeds have made the better start to life back in the Premier League with twice as many points. Sunderland have started better still, with 11. But if any of them pat themselves on the back now, they risk being knocked off their feet.
"I would say performance-wise, and points-wise, all three of us have had decent starts but it’s still early doors and too early to sing the praises of the newly-promoted sides," insists Farke.
"If, after 37 games (out of 38), we are all ahead of the relegation zone then it will be a time to speak about it.
"If that happens, I would like to think that would be healthy for the Premier League.
"That would probably also mean that some proven, established sides would go down. They might be missed from the Premier League, but I think to have a bit of fluctuation can be good for the competition.
"I still think it’s a big challenge to stay up and I still can’t guarantee all three of us will survive because there is too much competition.
"There are too many established and high-quality sides currently down the pecking order in the table. I expect them to win many more points but we’ll keep fighting every week to stay in this league."
That fighting spirit is deeply ingrained in the squad now. Leeds can partly thank Burnley for that, albeit grudgingly.