ADE Akinbiyi will have a firm handshake ready for Andy Johnson tomorrow.

But that's where the friendship ends, even if the two former Crystal Palace team mates don't get the chance to engage in a strikers' shoot-out.

The reunion may be shelved if Johnson fails to recover from a niggling knee injury, which he aggravated this week.

And the Clarets leading scorer will not be too disappointed if Palace's England striker fails to make the starting line up.

Akinbiyi said: "I know Andy well. He is a good friend of mine who I speak to a lot after our time together at Palace and everyone knows what quality he has.

"He is just coming back from injury and I know he will be desperate to get playing again to try to get back in the England set-up, but hopefully he doesn't start scoring against us."

Akinbiyi and Johnson came together at Selhurst Park in the summer of 2002, when the latter formed a makeweight in the swap deal with Birmingham that took Clinton Morrison - now back partnering Johnson at Palace - to St Andrew's for £4.25m.

However, Akinbiyi had by then suffered a cruciate injury towards the end of the 2001-02 season.

It was therefore 2003 before they got the chance to briefly partner each other before Akinbiyi was farmed out on loan to Stoke City in a move that ultimately led to him joining the Potters that summer.

Palace's relegation from the Premiership last season, when Johnson's 22 goals failed to keep the Eagles in the top flight, ensured the two players' paths would again cross.

And Akinbiyi, who has been asked to play as a lone striker in the past six games - resulting in just one defeat - is ready to prove a point to Palace fans after a dismal spell with the Londoners.

He added: "Obviously the gaffer had to change something and he put me up front on my own. It's been hard work and I really appreciate what Gifton Noel-Williams does now when he holds the ball up.

"But the gaffer wants us to get in behind teams more and it's managing to work out for us. The team works hard behind me and we are playing well at the moment.

"Unfortunately that means Gifton has had to bide his time but I'm sure sometimes, things will be different and he will want to play another way."

A fourth win in five games could lift Burnley into the top half of the table and within striking distance of the top six.

"And in a tightly congested Championship, Akinbiyi feels there is every cause for optimism in the Clarets camp.

"It's a crazy, crazy league," he added. "Everyone is beating everyone else and with Brighton winning at Palace on Tuesday, if we can go there and win it might push us up towards the top six.

"If you look we are four points of the top six and five off the bottom two, which is ridiculous."