PAUL Smith is set for a derby-day return as Burnley look to banish their Blackburn blues against play-off chasing Preston at Turf Moor tonight.

With Graham Branch out for the season and Lee Briscoe expected to have to wait a little longer to make his comeback from injury, Smith is poised for only his eighth start of the campaign on the left-hand side of the Clarets defence.

Top-scorer Andy Payton and John Mullin, not even on the bench at Ewood Park last Sunday, may also be pressing for a more significant taste of the action as Burnley bid for their first derby success of the season.

Stan Ternent's squad is down to just 15 fit senior outfield players but assistant manager Sam Ellis is looking to the likes of Smith to make the most of their chance.

He said: "Everybody gets an opportunity to contribute. That's what they want to do.

"Every player in that dressing room thinks they should be in the team. So when they get the opportunity you don't say you've got a weakened side, you say it's an opportunity for somebody and let them get on with it and show how good they are."

Burnley, replaced in tenth place in mid-week by Wimbledon, are desperate to bounce back from their crushing defeat by Rovers and see tonight's televised clash as the ideal opportunity.

Central defender Ian Cox said: "After the Blackburn game it is a chance for us to go out and redeem ourselves in front of the cameras and in front of our home supporters.

"It left a bit of a bad taste conceding five goals against our nearest rivals but we've got a chance to put it right tonight.

"We owe it to ourselves as well as the supporters to go out and do ourselves a bit of justice.

"I don't think we were ourselves against Blackburn. Fair dues to them they were by far the superior team but we know how much it meant to the supporters as well as ourselves so we've got a little bit to prove against Preston.

"Five-nil is hard to erase but if we could get a good result against Preston that would go some way towards eradicating what was a poor performance."

Cox and defensive partners Steve Davis and Mitchell Thomas must re-group after the problems caused by Marcus Bent and Matt Jansen last weekend to get to grips with Jonathan Macken and probably David Healy to put the brakes on Preston's play-off push.

"The 5-0 drubbing hasn't done too much for the confidence, especially for the defence so a clean sheet would be more than welcome," added Cox.

"They've done very well this season. They are in the play-off situation and they want to consolidate that. They will be coming here with their tails up looking for three points and we've got to make sure we are like the party spoilers.

"Our home form hasn't been to bad all season and we just want to try and continue it between now and the end of the season."

Northern Ireland international Healy is likely to start up front for Preston after being used as a substitute in North End's 0-0 draw with Gillingham last Saturday but skipper Sean Gregan will require a late fitness check.

Burnley from: Michopoulos, Weller, Smith, Davis, Thomas, Cox, Little, Ball, Cook, Moore, Taylor, Payton, Mullin, Armstrong, Maylett, West, Crichton.

Preston from: Moilanen, Alexander, Jackson, Kidd, Murdock, Edwards, Cartwright, Rankine, McKenna, Gregan, Healy, Macken, Cresswell, Anderson, Gunnlaugsson, Barry-Murphy, Lucas.