Papa's making a

good impression FINE SHOW: Clarets striker Dimitri Papadopoulos TURF TALK: Papa makes good impression FIRST impressions are often said to be very important and having seen Dimitri Papadopoulos in action on Friday night, they were more than favourable.

Having started covering Burnley after the disappointing Worthington Cup defeat by Rushden and Diamonds, Friday night's Under-21 international at Ewood Park was the first chance I have had to see the what the young striker can do.

That is not for lack of trying. Clarets boss Stan Ternent summed it up best when he said he had not seen as much of him as he had liked because Papadopoulos has been away with his country so many times since he was signed in the summer.

At least on Friday he only had to travel to Blackburn to see his striker in action.

But Ternent knew that would be the case when he signed him and his investment of £500,000 in the striker is one he hopes will pay dividends in the long term, not the short.

That certainly looked to be the case as he helped give two of the country's finest young defenders a torrid time at Ewood.

Gareth Barry has already got six full England caps to his name and Spurs fans talk about King being better than Sol Campbell at a similar stage in his career.

But the men with three lions on their chest were often chasing the tigerish Papadopoulos's shadow as he combined good technical ability with a turn of pace to give them an uncomfortable time.

It had not been a promising start for the young Claret. As this team mates struggled to get a grip he was starved of possession in the opening period and when he did get a first half chance he blasted the ball well over the bar.

But after the break it was a different tale. Clever flicks and good movement meant he was Greece's dangerman and he deservedly both won and converted the last minute penalty that made the score 2-1.

Luckily he was not so elusive when it came to an interview after the game. The only problem I had was locating him through the fog of smoke created by the chain-smoking hacks from Greece.

Imagine a cosy little snug in a country pub being the venue for Rothmans Christmas party and you probably have the idea, it was a true Sherlock Holmes pea-souper.

I had spoken to Dimitri before he left England to fly to Greece thanks to the translating skills of the Clarets second choice keeper Luigi Cennamo. After the match I had to rely on the man appointed by the FA who was happy to help.

But Dimitri is learning English and he has already added the word "gaffer" to his vocabulary.

There is no doubt that learning the language of the country you play in is a major factor in making your career a success.

Look at the experience of British players who have played in Europe. Mark Hughes and Ian Rush struggled at Barcelona and Juventus respectively as they failed to master the lingo.

In contrast Gary Lineker and Ray Wilkins had success in Spain and Italy, returning home with great experience and another language.

So the sooner Dimitri, Nik and Arthur Gnohere are able to sit around and chat about what happened on Coronation Street the previous night, the better for the Clarets.