JOHN Mullin has been passed fit to travel with the Burnley squad to Millwall and could make only his second start of the season at the New Den tomorrow.

Mullin was the subject of a mid-week injury scare when he came off during the Clarets Pontins League win at Rotherham on Wednesday night.

But his calf injury has responded to treatment and manager Stan Ternent confirmed today that the midfielder would be available.

"John will but Tom Cowan won't," said Ternent, who has had to rule out Cowan with the hamstring strain he sustained at Rotherham.

Alan Lee is also missing with his knee problem but Ronnie Jepson returns to the fray and could be on the bench as Burnley bid for their first victory in four games.

"We would like to win the game and maintain the form we have been showing," insisted the Burnley boss, who feels his side have performed better than their last two results have shown.

"We have been unlucky in the two games we have just played when we drew against Brentford and then against Scunthorpe when their goalkeeper had a blinder and they scored a lucky winner.

"We just need a break," he added.

And eight-goal leading scorer Andy Payton is just as keen for the Clarets to get back among the points in the first of two away games in four days. He said: "We were disappointed with Sunday because we gave a couple of daft goals away from our point of view but overall going forward we didn't do too badly.

"But we are disappointed not to have won and we do want to get back on the winning trail. We are in fifth and we are doing okay but it may be the kick up the backside we need to hopefully put us back on the winning track again.

"We are disappointed because we know that if we had won on Sunday we would be second now. We lost out on a win bonus, we lost out on being second in the league, we lost on Sky and it was disappointing for the fans so we want to bounce back and that's what we've been doing this week, working hard to bounce back.

"So hopefully with the hard work we've done this week we can do that and go down there and get a result."

Burnley have conceded only two goals away from home this season and Payton is hoping that kind of record will stand the Clarets in good stead for tomorrow and then next Tuesday night's trip to Cambridge.

"They will be two hard games. Millwall are a good side and Cambridge are bound to be alright at home so we are expecting two very tough games. But hopefully we can go away and pick up some points.

"We've only lost one away from home and if we can keep a clean sheet we've always got a chance on the break," he added.

Millwall may be unchanged following their 3-1 victory at Oxford last Saturday, their third win in four games which has lifted them to 14th in the table. The return of Lucas Neill in midfield could be the only change, although the Australian picked up a slight thigh strain in mid-week reserve action.

Marc Bircham and Richard Sadlier both return from international duty, but are likely to start on the bench.

Burnley from: Crichton, West, Smith, Mellon, Davis, Thomas, Little, Cook, Branch, Payton, Armstrong, Cooke, Brass, Johnrose, Weller, Mullin, Jepson, Robertson.

Millwall from: Warner, Newman, Nethercott, Fitzgerald, Stuart, Livermore, Bowry, Cahill, Ifill, Shaw, Moody, Neill, Reid, Ryan, Harris, Gilkes, Bircham, Sadlier, Spink (gk).

The Clarets went out of the Times FA Youth Cup when they lost 3-1 at home to Mansfield Town in their first round replay at Turf Moor last night.

Anthony Shandran scored to make it 1-1 and Burnley could have had a penalty shortly after instead of being awarded a free-kick just outside the box.

Mansfield made the most of the let-off to score twice more and book their passage to the second round.

Burnley return to Youth Alliance league duty at Carlisle tomorrow, when John Williamson, Alex Kevan and Eamonn Kelly are likely to return.

Stan Ternent is not in the market for a new goalkeeper, which would rule out any move for Kettering's Adam Sollitt who had reportedly been watched by the Clarets.

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