CHRIS Waddle is set for talks tomorrow with on-trial striker Graeme Tomlinson who smashed a hat-trick for Burnley Reserves at Wrexham last night.

But the Turf Moor player-manager is taking nothing for granted over the 22-year-old Manchester United forward who is available on a free transfer.

"We were allowed to have him train with us and play in two reserve matches which he has done," said the manager.

"Now we'll have to sit down and talk things over, see whether he is looking for a loan until the end of the season, or what he wants if there is a possibility of a permanent move.

"Nothing has been decided at the moment.

"Obviously he did very well last night but we don't know what the lad is looking for and that's what we will be talking about."

Waddle also played at Wrexham last night but does not expect to include himself in the squad for Saturday's game at Walsall.

Meanwhile, Andy Payton believes Burnley's current goal power can keep them up - provided they can get it right at the other end.

Burnley go into the game desperate to avoid a third successive league defeat.

But despite a recent slump which has seen them drop into the bottom two, the Clarets haven't drawn a blank in front of goal for 11 games.

And Payton believes that kind of scoring potential combined with more miserly defending can point the way to safety.

"We have got to start keeping clean sheets, and that's not having a go at anybody, because we have actually been scoring in most games" he said.

"If you are going to give two goals away, like we did against Wycombe, Wrexham and again on Saturday, you've a mountain to climb really so if we can keep clean sheets I am certain that we will always pinch a goal."

Payton added: "Andy Cooke has got 16 goals. With teams at the bottom you normally find the strikers are on three or four and they can't score but that has not been the case.

"Andy has got 16, Gerry Creaney got eight or nine and I have scored a few myself so I don't really see that being the problem. It's at the other end but I am not having a go at any of the lads because you defend from the front.

"But we have definitely been conceding too many goals and I am certain that if we can start keeping a few clean sheets we will definitely start winning games."

"I was in a similar situation at Barnsley a couple of years ago." We played the wing-back situation and got a lot of nils away from home and then went and pinched one and won 1-0.

"You pick up a lot of points from keeping clean sheets so if we can start grinding out a few and not letting our opponents score a couple of goals I am certain we will be alright."

While Cooke has extended his remarkable scoring run to 11 in the last nine games with a goal in each of his last two outings, the chances have stopped falling to Payton.

The experienced striker has scored five times since arriving from Huddersfield Town in a swap deal with Paul Barnes.

But on Saturday he will be bidding to find the net for the first time in four games and is hoping for a return to the kind of free-flowing football the Clarets produced on their travels at Preston and Wycombe.

"In the last three games I have hardly had a shot," admitted Payton.

"The wing-backs were really pushing on and getting crosses in and a few chances were falling but just recently, especially last Saturday, we seemed to be playing too deep and not getting balls into the box. The one ball we did get into the box we scored from it."

Boundary Clarets are running supporters' coaches to Walsall on Saturday, leaving Duke's Bar at 10.20am, Turf Moor 10.30, Padiham 10.45. Prices £9, £8 and £7. There will also be transport to Grimsby next Tuesday, leaving Duke's Bar 3.50pm, Turf Moor 4.00 and Padiham 4.15, price £7.

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