CLARETS manager Steve Cotterill insists he will be treating today's Lancashire derby like any other match.

But the Burnley boss is expecting fireworks as he welcomes former Blackburn Rovers star Simon Grayson and his Blackpool side to Turf Moor.

Both teams have suffered just one defeat so far this season and come into the clash riding on the crest of a wave.

The Tangerines, in particular, have adapted to life in the Championship with veritable ease, already claiming the scalps of Hull and Leicester as well as pulling off a mighty surprise in the Carling Cup by dumping Premiership newcomers Derby out on penalty kicks.

And although this is Cotterill's first taste of this particular Lancashire derby, he maintained his similarly buoyant Burnley boys would be approaching the match in the same manner as they would any other.

He said: "Every game we play is a big game. I haven't sampled a match against Blackpool as Burnley manager yet, but if it's anything like the other derby games, I imagine it will be excellent.

"I think it's a bigger game than I thought it was going to be."

The last time the two sides met at Turf Moor in the league was back in November 1999, when the match was settled in favour of the Clarets courtesy of a 77th minute strike from Micky Mellon.

And Cotterill admitted he was expecting a similarly close encounter, although he was confident that, if the Clarets played the same way they did against Colchester in their last league outing, then they were more than capable of taking all three points.

He added: "Blackpool have started very well like most of the sides do that come up.

"It will be a tough game, they've gone away and had some great results. We've just got to make sure we play to our maximum and play with desire, determination and energy.

"We know that if we perform like we did at Colchester, then we have a great chance of winning."