CONFIDENT Burnley fans have been backing their side to clinch promotion at Scunthorpe this afternoon as the Clarets' odds on making it into Division One have tumbled over the run-in.

Priced at a fraction over 8-1 to go straight up mid-way through the campaign, Burnley headed for the decider at Glanford Park today with their odds trimmed to 2/1 with William Hill.

"They have been gradually coming in. The longest I have seen them was at 33-1 to win the championship about six months ago, with a quarter the odds for first or second.

"Confidence has been growing over the last few weeks when they've won something like seven out of eight," confirmed Hill's local odds fixer Andy Ingham.

The Clarets, 9/4 on to beat Scunthorpe, drifted slightly in the market after Gillingham replaced them in second place with their 4-1 win over Cardiff City on Tuesday night.

But Hills are still looking at a fair pay-out if Stan Ternent's men were to snatch the promotion place which would be theirs if they beat the Iron and Gillingham fail to win at Wrexham.

"Before the Gillingham game in mid-week Burnley were 11/4 to go up automatically and after that they went to 2/1.

"There has been quite a bit of money for them in our Burnley shops," Ingham added.

Hill's haven't set a price on the Clarets to go up via the play-offs and will open that market if they have to next week.

From a business point of view the company would welcome an extension to the season.

But Ingham was hoping to celebrate instant promotion by watching the live screening of the Scunthorpe clash at Turf Moor.

"We would prefer them to go up by the play-offs because it gives us another couple of weeks business, but positively I would like them to do it today," he said.

As well as bets on Burnley to go up, Ingham expected Hill's to take plenty of money on Andy Payton to be the first goalscorer at Glanford Park at a price of 4/1.

And he said that Payton to score first in a 2-0 Clarets' win was proving a popular wager at odds of 22/1.

Meanwhile, Clarets' midfielder Paul Cook headed for Scunthorpe and possible promotion delighted with the way the club's fortunes have been transformed in just 12 months.

When Cook arrived from Stockport County last March, Burnley slumped into the bottom four.

But an inspired 11-match unbeaten run kept them up, and they haven't looked back since.

He said: "It's great for everyone. Myself and Tom Cowan came into the club on loan when it was fighting against relegation.

"And we said -- I remember speaking to (chief scout) Cliffy Roberts-- 'what a club.'"

"And then in the next few months with the lads that came in, like Mitchell Thomas who has been oustanding all year, and one or two others who have found form, obviously with Andy's goals up front, we've just had a right good year.

"And I think that shows for people who watch us train and things like that. They see a genuine happy group of lads and I think if you've got that spirit that will take you a long way all the time."

And come what may today, Cook believes Burnley have had a successful campaign with the play-off route to promotion still open if required.

He added: "At the start of the season the gaffer said to us if we don't get in the play-offs we will under-achieve.

"He put that pressure on us to say 'right, I want to go up'."

"His intentions all year have been promotion, make no bones about that. But he's told us that the play-offs will be the minimum (target).

"We have had a good season. We are in the play-offs. So it's been a little bit of success and the fans have got something to look forward to which is a good thing for them, rather than being the last game of the season and going to places having to get results to stay up.

"We are in a position where we might just get out of this league."

The Turf Moor screening of this afternoon's big game was approaching a sell-out with the club reporting yesterday afternoon that they had 800 tickets left for the James Hargreaves North Stand.