PROUD skipper Frank Sinclair has paid tribute to the Burnley squad ahead of a gruelling sequence of four games in eight days.

Sinclair insisted the spirit in the camp will carry the Clarets in good stead over the festive period, when the Clarets entertain Stoke City on Boxing Day before travelling to Norwich City 48 hours later. They then host Sheffield Wednesday on New Year's Eve and finally visit QPR in the first game of 2006.

And with everything to play for in the second half of the Championship season, the experienced Premiership campaigner feels the true potential of Steve Cotterill's team is yet to be realised.

He said: "Everyone is happy with the way things have gone. We had a slow start to the season, but with so many new faces around that was to be expected.

"It took half a dozen games to get to know everyone's strengths and allow them to reach the standards required. But everyone has bedded in nicely now and I think over the past dozen games or so, everyone is realising the true potential this team has."

Sinclair, who has skippered the side through thick and thin, added: "It's a credit to everyone that we have turned it around from being bottom of the table three months ago.

"The games are coming thick and fast now, but the gaffer has near enough everyone available and I feel we have a decent depth to the squad now to come through this period still in touch and then kick on in the New Year.

"The squad is a lot stronger than last season. We had some good players last season, but the numbers and the way we are playing means we can now play two or three different ways with players who can adapt to that.

"The next run of games will take a toll on everyone, but it's a situation where you just get your head down and get through it and taking the games over the Christmas period, we fancy ourselves to get points out of all of them, even though we don't expect any easy ones."