BURNLEY captain Steven Caldwell faces a race against time to be fit for tomorrow’s Premier League opener at Stoke City, but manager Owen Coyle fears it is a battle the defender may lose.

The 28-year-old is rated doubtful after suffering a groin strain while making his international comeback for Scotland in Wednesday night’s crushing World Cup qualifying defeat against Norway.

Caldwell, whose brother, Gary, was sent off for being booked twice inside two first-half minutes, was substituted just three minutes into the second half in Oslo. He reported back to Turf Moor yesterday morning to begin treatment immediately, in the hope it will give him every chance to lead out the Clarets at the Britannia Stadium.

But Coyle is not confident, and is already posed with a defensive headache on the eve of the new season.

Although the backline has been bolstered by the summer arrivals of David Edgar, Richard Eckersley and Brian Easton, Edgar is suspended for his double booking in Newcastle’s final game of last season, when defeat at Aston Villa consigned them to relegation, while both Eckersley and Easton are predominantly fullbacks.

Tyrone Mears has timed his return to fitness well, after being troubled with FROM BACK PAGE an ankle problem in pre-season, and is likely to start at right back, with Stephen Jordan the strongest candidate to form a central defensive partnership with Clarke Carlisle if Caldwell doesn’t make it.

“He’s hurt his groin,” confirmed Coyle about his stricken captain. “We’ll just have to assess it but it doesn’t look great at this moment.

“Given the lad he is, he’s got such a big heart, he’s such a real leader and a terrific captain then who knows?

“He played the game last night, flew back from Norway and drove down the road straight away to be in at 8:30am (yesterday) getting treatment trying to be ready for Saturday.

“Everyone knows the opinion I have of him, and that just summed it up for me, how committed he is for the football club. But, at this stage, it’s very doubtful the skipper will have any chance of making it.”

Although Caldwell was delighted to be recalled to the Scotland squad for the first time in three years, earning his 10th cap, his untimely injury has served to enhance Coyle’s frustrations at the timing of the international fixtures, just three days before the new season begins.

“I alluded to it last week, but whoever decided to come up with this wonderful fixture of an international before the start of a season proper is beyond me,” said Coyle, who was also without Scotland internationals Graham Alexander and Steven Fletcher, striker Martin Paterson, who played in Northern Ireland’s friendly with Israel, and Scotland Under 21 duo Kevin McDonald and Brian Easton.

“It was always my worry going into the season that because we had so many away on international duty - six all-told between the full squads and Scotland Under 21s - it’s always a concern that someone comes back with an injury. That’s what’s happened, but we just have to get on with it.”