Clarets manager Adrian Heath has slammed reports linking Paul Smith with a £1.5 million summer move to Premiership Arsenal.

A rival newspaper today claimed that Gunners chief Arsene Wenger is closing in on the promising Turf Moor youngster.

Heath rapped: "This is a new one on me. I've not spoken to anybody from Arsenal.

"It is quite a bold statement for someone to make, especially as there is no foundation in the story.

"A lot of clubs are probably interested in Paul, but presumably if they were that keen on one of our players then they'd have spoken with me first. I've not heard a thing from Arsenal."

As the Lancashire Evening Telegraph revealed last month, the Clarets manager has already blocked a £500,000 bid for the highly-rated Smith, who has become a key Clarets squad member.

But the latest Smith transfer link appears to be well wide of the mark.

Meanwhile, Turf Moor fans' favourite David Eyres is back in business.

The Clarets raider played his first full 90 minutes for six weeks in last night's 3-2 Pontin's League victory at Bradford City. That puts Eyres firmly back in the frame for a first team return in time for this weekend's big Division Two clash at Stockport County.

Manager Adrian Heath, who was at Valley Parade to watch Eyres' comeback game, said: "He did very well and he is in my plans for Stockport.

"We've a number of options in that area with Chris Vinnicombe staking a claim."

Eyres has not featured for Burnley since injuring his ligaments in the 3-1 win at Blackpool on February 25 but he was one of the Burnley substitutes at the weekend.

Heath is ready to offer schoolboy terms to two of the Irish youngsters who recently spent a week on trial at Turf Moor.

Burnley gave extensive trials to six Irish teenagers at the end of last week and they returned home at the weekend.

But Heath said: "We will be speaking to their parents in the next couple of days and we are confident that we can tie at least two of them up on schoolboy forms. "They are extremely talented kids and they would, I'm sure, prove a big asset to our youth ranks." Heath, meanwhile, will have one eye on tonight's Second Division fixture list when several of Burnley's promotion rivals are in action.

Leaders Bury take on Walsall at Gigg Lane while Watford, a point behind Burnley, face a testing trip to FA Cup semi-finalists Chesterfield.

Heath was planning to be at Saltergate to run the rule over Watford who visit Turf Moor on May 3 - the final day of the season.

Second-placed Luton Town will be banking on maximum points when Lennie Lawrence's team entertain Wycombe Wanderers at Kenilworth Road, while Stockport County, Burnley's opponents on Saturday, go to struggling Plymouth Argyle.

Loan striker Steve Guinan scored his first goal for the Clarets in last night's 3-2 Pontin's League victory at Bradford City. Match report page 31.

There are only terrace tickets left for Saturday's crunch game at Stockport County. The game is strictly all-ticket for Burnley fans. Terrace: £8 adult, £4 conc. Supporters are reminded that the Edgeley Park fixture has a 1pm kick-off.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.