GRAHAM Branch today urged Burnley not to sell star striker Ade Akinbiyi.

The club's longest-serving player issued a direct plea to chairman Barry Kilby as Turf Moor braces itself for a third bid by promotion-chasing Sheffield United to land the 14-goal hitman.

And Branch insisted it would be a "sad day" if the Clarets choose to cash in on the top scorer, whose record of virtually a goal every two games has quickly turned him into a cult hero.

He said: "It's a tough time for everyone at the moment. If Ade goes I wish him all the best, but he has scored a lot of goals for us and we need players like him.

"We don't need to be dismantling this squad, we need to be building it because it's already one of the smallest in the league.

"It would be hard to replace someone of Ade's standing, but if he goes it is out of our hands.

"We need to keep plugging away, but it will be a sad day if Ade goes."

Branch's sentiments were indirectly echoed by boss Steve Cotterill following Saturday's 2-0 home defeat to Preston North End.

Cotterill, who pipped the Blades to Akinbiyi's £600,000 signature just a year ago, spoke of his frustration at having the destiny of players taken out of his hands.

And the uncertainty surrounding Akinbiyi's future is now threatening to take the shine off a welcome training break in sunny southern Europe later this week, designed to give everyone a lift after a gruelling few months.

However, after picking up one point from the last 15 since the Boxing Day TURN TO PAGE 39 FROM BACK PAGE win over Stoke City and exiting the FA Cup at the first hurdle at Derby, the Clarets chief insisted: "Maybe this is a nice time to take stock.

"We would rather have been in the FA Cup but we are pummelling the same lads' heads against a brick wall all the time.

"It's the same old players week in and week out and sometimes you can flog them.

"It's unfair of us to try to win every week, but unfortunately we try and do that and then it gets other people's expectations up.

"We don't want to lull people into that false sense of expectations, but we want to do well and if we had said that with our squad, we would be in 10th place after 30 games, I can tell you now we would have taken it."