BURNLEY'S big derby clash with Preston North End on Sunday hardly needed spicing up.

The two clubs are both chasing a play-off spot as they aim to return to the top flight and the stakes could not be higher.

But now it looks increasingly likely that North End will be playing their first game in the post David Moyes era as he looks set to be named as Everton's new manager.

That could leave Moyes' assistant manager Kelham O'Hanlon in charge for the big game and there is even the possibility that on-loan defender Colin Hendry could be installed as a player-coach.

The former Blackburn man has moved to Deepdale from Bolton and he returned to training this week after injury.

How the likely changes will affect the team that the Scot has put together over the past four years will have a big bearing on where the points go on Sunday evening.

Moyes was yesterday given permission to speak to the Goodison Park club by the North End board and the only sticking point would appear to be the size of the compensation package.

And in another twist to the tale, his first key decision could be to decide whether to allow Paul Gascoigne to leave Merseyside and sign for the Clarets.

Burnley's chairman Barry Kilby has confirmed that following the sacking of Walter Smith the club is ready to make a second enquiry about the player who was first asked about last week.

Gascoigne has reportedly said he would quit if Smith was no longer at Goodison but that story was dismissed by his agent Ian Elliott this morning.

"He had a good relationship with the manager so his sacking has obviously not helped the situation," he admitted. "But like veryone else we are waiting to see what happens now."

It is possible that Moyes may be unwilling to let such a high profile player go in his first days in the job. He has a massive task on his hands keeping the Toffees in the Premier League as they slipped another place last night following Blackburn's defeat of Ipswich.

Moyes took training yesterday morning before sitting down to talks with Preston's acting chairman Derek Shaw and chief executive Tony Scholes.

And following Preston's agreement to Everton's approach, the Merseyside club's deputy chairman Bill Kenwright revealed: "I have had my first conversation with him and we will be talking later and through the night."

None of that will be of any concern to Clarets boss Stan Ternent as he continues his preparations for Sunday's big game. Whether those preparations will involve Gascoigne remains unclear.