BURNLEY are on track to cut the tape on the new North Stand by early April and conclude the first phase of the £6 million Turf Moor redevelopment.

Construction work on the 8,700 capacity stand is pushing ahead on schedule.

And the Lancashire Evening Telegraph can exclusively reveal Burnley are hoping to finish one tier of the superstructure inside the next six weeks.

That means an extra 4,000 seats could be available to Clarets fans in the North Stand for the eagerly awaited Lancashire derby clash against Blackpool at Turf Moor on March 2. A site meeting with stand contractors, Lincoln-based Linpave, is scheduled for January 30 and that could signal an announcement that the stand could be fully open in early April as Turf Moor moves a step closer to an all-seater stadium.

Currently, the two most likely dates for the opening of the entire grandstand are April 2 (when Burnley play Bournemouth) or, perhaps more likely, the visit of Bradford City four days later.

"The basic structure is on time and we hope to have all four sides of the ground in use for the Blackpool fixture on March 2," confirmed director and Turf Moor redevelopment spokesman Clive Holt.

"Hopefully, we will have a full tier open for the Blackpool game. Everything hinges on what the builders tell us at the meeting. Certainly the stand should be completed by the end of March."

Demolition of the Longside terrace began after the Hull City fixture on September 16.

Once the North Stand is up and running, the Beehole terrace will be next to redeveloped. When both cantilever stands are completed the Turf Moor capacity is expected to rise to 21,943 for the start of the 1996-97 season.

Burnley then plan to give home fans the two new stands and the Bob Lord Stand, with away fans accommodated in the Cricket Field Stand. The value of the Linpave contract is £5.2 million but fitting the facilities to a higher standard will bring the total cost to nearer £6 million. The Football Trust has grant-aided the project to the tune of £2.25 million.

Burnley have announced they will stage a minute's silence in memory of the late Harry Potts on Saturday. And the first team will wear black armbands as a mark of respect. The former Clarets manager died a week ago and his funeral service was held yesterday.

Burnley's Lancashire League fixture at Liverpool on Saturday has been called off due to Liverpool's involvement in the FA Youth Cup on the same day.

Third-placed Blackpool could move eight points clear of Burnley when they entertain Wycombe Wanderers at Bloomfield Road tonight. Burnley go to Blackpool a fortnight today.

Striker Kurt Nogan was not included in the Wales team when Bobby Gould named his side for tomorrow night's friendly against Italy in Terni. He could still land a place on the substitutes bench.

Former West Ham United and Leeds goalkeeper Mervyn Day has been appointed Carlisle's United's new Director of Football following Mick Wadsworth's move to Norwich City as assistant manager. Clive Middlemass was linked to the post yesterday.

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