FEW people connected with Burnley will relish a break for international duty, least of all Andy Gray.

Optimism is encircling Turf Moor again on the back of reaching the Carling Cup third round and a brilliant win at Colchester United. And with five goals in as many games Gray won't be welcoming a weekend off already.

Being an ex-striker, I know that barren spells can creep up on you. One minute you can be flying, then before you know if you've gone six games without a goal, so he won't want this two-week break. He will want to maintain that feeling of balls crashing into the back of the net. It's as simple as that. But this break can't be helped.

With the goalscoring form he ended last season in, he wanted to get off the mark as soon as possible, which he has done, so hopefully he'll be able to pick up straight from where he left off at Layer Road.

It's all right saying he would have got 20 goals last season had he not got injured. At the end of the day, nobody knows. But he has rubber-stamped his prolific form already, and if he stays injury-free he must have a chance of winning the Championship's golden boot.

Strangely enough, we were promoted in the year that I won the Golden Boot in 2000, and if Gray gets 25 goals for Burnley this season then the Clarets will be in the top six.

If we are relying on his goals, so what if it means we're winning games?

The more goals he gets the higher up the table Burnley will finish. That's not pressure, he'll just be loving getting on the scoresheet.

Speaking of goalscorers, I was pleasantly surprised to see Alan Mahon's name pop up on the live scores on Saturday, and after seeing the television coverage, he took it well.

He has fantastic ability on the ball, it's just the ugly stuff that he doesn't seem to do so much. But at 29 he's still within his prime, and if Burnley can get a full season out of him it will be like another signing.

Another good player, of international standard, that has been brought in is Graham Alexander, and it was pleasing to hear the club knocked back an improved offer from Fulham for Kyle Lafferty. I'd like the lad to go on and develop to his full potential at the club, like his countryman Billy Hamilton did.