DAMIAN Matthew was more frustrated than most last night at the sight of a waterlogged Turf Moor pitch which has ruled him out of a return to action at Walsall on Saturday.

The Burnley midfielder has missed the last two games with a calf strain which coincided with the start of a two-match ban.

He would have completed his suspension while nursing the injury in the stands last night before resuming training later this week and challenging for a place in the side at the Bescot Stadium.

"It's a pain really," Matthew admitted. "It's going to be frustrating because I am going to be back in full training on Friday but then suspended for the Walsall game.

"But I will still travel down and give the lads the support they need to hopefully get the points."

With just one day's full training to sharpen his game, Matthew might not have been guaranteed a place in the starting line-up on Saturday.

But his direction from the middle of the park has been missed and it's likely he would have been involved at some stage.

Walsall showed how difficult the trip promises to be with a 2-1 win at Second Division leaders Watford last night.

But Matthew insists Burnley, who have lost three of their last four League games after winning four of the previous five, will still head for the Midlands with confidence. "That result shows there is not much of a gulf in this division. I am confident that we have got more than enough to stay up.

"If you look at the form since Christmas everybody has had a blip. We started the season poorly and have had to catch up but going on that run should give everybody confidence," he added.

One player who will be on the comeback trail tonight is player-manager Chris Waddle who plays for the reserves at Wrexham.

Waddle is looking to get a further game under his belt following injury to make himself available for Saturday. Lee Howey also plays his third game in eight days after a pelvic problem.

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