CLARETS stopper Danny Coyne says he'll be ready to fight for the number one shirt come the start of the season - but he knows he'll have some battle on his hands.

The Wales international looked to have won the race to be considered as Steve Cotterill's first choice at the start of last season.

But a cruel knee injury in the match against Brighton in September saw him ruled out for the rest of the season.

An innocuous fall as he tried to change direction chasing a loose ball saw him damage his cruciate and medial ligaments.

But after surgery and months of rehabilitation, Coyne is determined to stake his claim for a starting place come the beginning of August.

He said: "I've been of both sides of the fence so I know what's required of me.

"Everything was going well and then the injury happened but that's football. But I'll come back stronger when we start pre-season on June 30.

"Brian's a very good goalkeeper and he has the same attitude as me - we both want to play football.

"It's good for the club that we've got two good keepers who can both do a job in the first team. It creates healthy competition between us and that kind of competition ensures we both stay on our toes."