GRIMSBY Town boss Lennie Lawrence knows the size of the task facing his side tomorrow night when they take on league leaders Burnley at Turf Moor.

"There is no doubt that Burnley are very, very serious play-off contenders," admitted Lawrence.

"What Stan Ternent has done at that place is staggering. He has got more resources than a club like Grimsby but he has done very well with whatever transfer funds he has had.

"Ian Moore and Gareth Taylor are a real handful in attack and I think Taylor is playing his best football since he was at Bristol Rovers.

"And of course in Glen Little, Stan has got a real prize asset."

Lawrence has experience of taking a club up to the Premier League having achieved the feat with Middlesbrough a decade ago and he knows it will take more than having a good squad of players.

"You need to get the rub of the green," he said. "You need days when you should have drawn and you nick a win, or you deserve to lose and come away with a point.

When Lawrence was Luton boss he first bought Steve Davis from Burnley and then sold him back after four years of very good service.

"I saw Burnley against Watford the other week and Steve was not playing and, although they kept a clean sheet, I thought they missed him," he said.

"But Stan has got a strong squad and although I still fancy Wolves and Man City to be the top two at the end of the season, you never know."

Last night's defeat for Crystal Palace at Gillingham ensured that Burnley will kick-off tomorrow as first division leaders and with the chance of going five points clear at the top.

The Gills win also pushed Grimsby down the table, just one place and one point above the drop zone.

But despite the gap between the two clubs, Lawrence will travel to Turf Moor in confident mood, based on recent history.

"I don't know why but I have a good record against Burnley," he said. "When I was at Luton we lost only once in four or five years against them, bashing them up a few times at our place where we didn't lose.

"Last year we had a win and a draw. That means one of two things, my good run will continue or we will end up getting a hammering."

And he was not unhappy to hear that the home section of the ground was sold out by Tuesday, guaranteeing a good atmosphere.

"Turf Moor is always a good ground to go to and I am glad that there will be a big crowd there," he said.

"We played at Bolton last season when they dropped ticket prices to a fiver and it was great night - and we came away with a point."

The Mariners have a big cup game ahead of them next week when they will try to follow up their shock victory at Anfield, knocking out holders Liverpool from the Worthington Cup.

But Lawrence is not interested in more cup glory at Highbury next week, all he wants is three points tomorrow night.

"No question about it," he said. "I would rather have six league points, have the win at Anfield wiped out and take a defeat at Arsenal.

"The Liverpool win was a wonderful night for the fans, one of the best in the club's history," admitted Lawrence. "But for a club like Grimsby the be all and end all is staying in the first division.

"It is not a message I have to tell the players, they are well aware of the situation, they all know how much more important league points are."

If Grimsby do stay up, that will be mission accomplished as far as Lawrence is concerned.

But he is aware that even if they do survive, they may not be back at Turf Moor next season.