Clarets defensive lynchpin Steve Davis will be in the clear to face Coventry City in the fourth-round of the FA Cup - just.

Davis's dismissal for deliberate handball in Burnley's Boxing Day defeat at Bury will land the central defender a one-match ban.

But that will be served in the game following on from Sunday, January 9 - the day after Burnley are due at Highfield Road for their cup clash, which is already sold out for Burnley's travelling fans.

As a result, Davis will miss the League game at lowly Chesterfield on Saturday, January 15, which will no doubt come as a relief to the player and boss Stan Ternent.

League points take priority but the Clarets may feel they can cope with the Spireites' strikeforce better than that of Coventry's potent duo of Robbie Keane and Cedric Rousell in the absence of the influential Davis. Sunday's upset at Gigg Lane was a costly day for Burnley in more ways than one.

As well as now losing Davis for a game and seeing their run of just one defeat in 10 League games come to an end, Glen Little and Tom Cowan also picked up cautions that have left them on the brink of a ban.

Both players have now collected four yellow cards and one more will land them a one-game suspension.

Bans are part-and-parcel of the game but, as was proved at Bury, the Clarets can ill-afford to lose key players and Ternent will have been less than pleased with the disciplinary problems at Gigg Lane, when Andy Cooke and Graham Branch also went into the book.

Meanwhile, Oxford boss Mickey Lewis warned his players of a potential Burnley backlash going into today's game at Turf Moor, where the Clarets were expecting their biggest crowd of the season to mark the last home game of the millenium. United stalwart Lewis, who has tasted defeat just once in 13 games since stepping up from youth-team coach to take charge of first-team affairs in tandem with former Blackburn Rovers manager Ray Harford, ignored Burnley's result at Bury and stressed that his side would have to be on top of their game to continue their climb up the table.

"I am not reading too much into that, especially after they had a player sent off.

"We won't be taking Burnley any more lightly because they lost one game. They are a good team," said Lewis after Oxford had extended their impressive run with a 1-0 home win over Cambridge on Sunday.

Oxford were likely to stick with the same side as goalkeeper Pal Lundin and Canadian international defender Mark Watson weren't expected to shake off a flu bug.

Watson's absence meant a switch to a flat back four against Cambridge with former Burnley defender Steve Davis partnering Phil Whelan in the middle.

And the pairing was due to continue this afternoon, meaning a return to Turf Moor for 'the other' Davis, who chalked up almost 200 appearances for the Clarets before joining Barnsley for £180,000 in July, 1991.

Burnley Supporters Club have announced travel arrangements for the trip to Coventry in the FA Cup fourth round.

Pick up times are: Colne (10am), Nelson (10.10), Queensgate (10.20), Turf Moor (10.30), Tin Bobbin (10.35), Rawtenstall (10.50).

Tickets are priced £7 concessions, £9 members and £11 non-members and to book a seat contact Fraser Eagle on 01254 231100.

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