KEEP UP THE PACE

SAME

AGAIN

LADS

Cotterill: Come

out fighting

STEVE Cotterill is urging ring-rusty Burnley to come out fighting tomorrow and shoot down high-flying Reading.

The Clarets boss fears that as normal service is resumed, there may be a hangover from seeing three games called off over the usually hectic Christmas and New Year period.

While most other clubs have played five games in that busy spell, Burnley have been left kicking their heels rather than building on two successive victories over Wigan and Stoke.

And Cotterill knows his stop-start side have to hit the ground running if the pace is to be picked up against the fourth-placed Royals.

He said: "I think we've already put our markers down this season against some of the big clubs, so it's just a case of carrying on what we've been doing for most of the season.

"The games are going to come thick and fast now, so it's about getting our heads down and keep working hard.

"We've probably had to remind ourselves we're in good form because we only finished two games over the Christmas period and picked up maximum points.

"Then there was the anti-climax of missing the Liverpool game, so there is a chance of us being rusty.

"You don't quite know until the game starts, but I would rather look on the positive side and say we're nice and fresh and looking forward to the Reading game.

"Rustiness can creep in, but we can't go

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from playing as many games as we did early on - and being fatigued - to saying we're going to be rusty.

"It's all going to balance out and we're all going to play the same amount of games."

Cotterill also revealed that he approached veteran Reading striker Les Ferdinand, 38, over a potential move to Turf Moor once his contract with Bolton Wanderers ended recently.

However, the former England hitman, who hopes to shake off a hamstring tweak to lead the Royals' line at Turf Moor tomorrow, instead opted to move back down south.

Cotterill said: "I spoke to Les three or four times, but I think it was a north-south thing for him.

"I don't think we would have been able to offer him what Reading have anyway, but I know he needed to get back down south."

Meanwhile, Cotterill was today sweating on the fitness of defenders Michael Duff and Frank Sinclair for the first of two games in four days.

Midfielder Micah Hyde remains suspended for tomorrow's game, which could see goalkeeper Danny Coyne and winger Jean Louis Valois return to the bench.

Micah

He'll be disappointed to miss the game, but I'm sure, deep down, he's highly delighted he's going to be available for selection against Liverpool.

But that will depend on how the team do this week!

injuries

We'll have a look at Coyne, and maybe there's a place for him in the squad now.

He was going to play in the reserves, and we were disappointed that was off.

It will be nice to have him back. He's been knocking around for about a week or so, but we haven't been able to be consistent with our training.

We've been indoors and don't really want him indoors, starting off again.

Jean-Louis was going to play a maximum of 45 minutes, so we'll wait and see how they are in training.

Rangers' offer

for Ferguson