IF you'd have said to me at the end of 2001 that Blackpool would now be a Championship club, and holding their own at this early stage, I wouldn't have believed you.

When I had a month-long loan spell at Bloomfield Road they were a mid-table League One side.

Steve McMahon was manager then and they still had a decent side. But I would never have envisaged what was to come at the end of last season and the beginning of this.

But, backed by a Latvian investor - president Valery Belokon - they have a good, young manager in Simon Grayson.

You only have to look at ex-Claret Ronnie Jepson to realise the honeymoon period can soon come to an end.

He made a good start to his managerial career when he took charge of Gillingham almost two years ago. But that association came to an end when he resigned this weekend, after a 3-0 defeat at Southend meant the Gills had only picked up three points from the opening five games.

You've got to take your hat off to Grayson for what he's done for the Seasiders. He's got a good squad with some good, young players, and with Tony Parkes as his right-hand man, there's plenty of experience behind him.

Those two will no doubt be in for their fair share of stick from the Clarets fans this weekend, Parkes, probably, more so given that he was at Ewood Park for over three decades.

But it all adds up to what will no doubt be a fantastic derby atmosphere for a game I'm really looking forward to.

I expect the away stand will be as full as I've seen it for a long time, and if they sing their hearts out, that will encourage our fans to drown them out.

Once they're out there, the players might not notice what's going on around them.

They'll just be focused on the game and getting back into Championship action after a two-week break.

The hard part for Burnley boss Steve Cotterill this week is not knowing what sort of shape his international players are going to return to Turf Moor in.

The only option is to prepare as normal but have a Plan B as well.

It's only the same as if you were to pick up a couple of injuries in the same day in training. Anything can happen in football.

But the good things is that the manager has options to plug the gaps should any of them back harbouring knocks.

At the moment, he will have his first team in his mind, and hopefully that will be the team he is able to put out.