Burnley chairman Barry Kilby expects to be replaced by one of the existing board of directors after revealing he is battling with cancer.

Kilby will end his 13-year stint at the helm of the Lancashire club in May, but is set to remain on the board of directors.

"I've been diagnosed with cancer so obviously it's going to be a big change in my life and I'm going to have to deal with it, so it was the right time to take stock and step down as chairman," he said.

"I've known for quite a while and I know the path we've got to take. It's going to take up time, so I obviously couldn't really carry on as chairman of the club. It's been a long time - 13 years and a big part of my life - so it wasn't taken easily, but circumstances have made it for me."

Kilby, 62, expects his successor to be drawn from a close-knit board, comprising of five Burnley fans.

"They're all Burnley fans on the board, there's nobody in there who's just come in, looked on a map and thought 'I fancy being a director of a football club'. The board of directors elects its chairman so it will come, I would imagine, from the directors that are here."