STEVE Cotterill has expressed his delight with Burnley's new centre back pairing - and looks set to keep it intact for tomorrow's trip to Plymouth.

John MCGreal and Keith Lowe delivered a clean sheet in their first game together, the 0-0 derby draw at Preston on Tuesday night.

Now, with Frank Sinclair still struggling to shake off his hamstring pull and Wayne Thomas out for the rest of the season, Lowe, who turned 20 on Tuesday, has the chance to cement a permanent place.

Manager Cotterill said: "I don't know about Frank Sinclair for Plymouth yet, but if Keith Lowe and John McGreal play like that, probably not.

"If Keith carries on playing like he's been playing it's not an issue for me. I don't pick any players because I like them better than any others - if someone is the best player and I don't particularly like them, they play every week.

"I wouldn't let that get in the way, we're too professional for that - so it's a good job I like them all!

"Both Keith and John McGreal were excellent (at Preston). I thought John set the tone, but he was part of a back four that

played like a unit, which made his job easier."

As Garreth O'Connor serves the last of a three-game suspension, the only other concern for the trip down to Plymouth is Wade Elliott.

He returned form an ankle injury with two goals against Cardiff on Saturday, but he failed to complete 90 minutes in both this game and at Preston.

Cotterill said: "Wade just dipped a bit the other night, which happens after you have an injury and you come back.

"On Saturday he was flying, but the other night I didn't think anything particularly came off for him.

"It was like he hit a bit of a brick wall, but he will be better the fitter he gets with the games."

If Burnley are building from the back, then the result at North End can act as a foundation for further progress up the Championship table.

But Cotterill isn't making any predictions yet as he admits he is still trying to perfect a balancing act between solid defence and sharp-toothed attack.

"I'll settle for the same type of performance against Plymouth than we had against Preston," said Cotterill. "If we do that we won't be far away from winning most games we play.

"The other night we didn't score but we didn't concede either, so it's trying to get the blend right between scoring and conceding that is the difficulty, especially when you've got young players in the team who have not quite adjusted to the level.

"The sooner we do that the healthier the league table will look for us but, we are in a massive transitional period."