STEVE Cotterill is urging his players to boost Burnley's goals tally and give the fans some home comfort.

The Clarets face Nottingham Forest tomorrow with eight-goal leading scorer Robbie Blake without a strike in six games.

But boss Cotterill insists the goalscoring burden needs to be shared out if his side are to edge their way back up the Championship table.

Cotterill said: "We would've had a lot more points on the board this season had we taken our chances and it's clear that we could score a few more goals.

"We're creating the opportunities, but there are other people who have to take that responsibility scoring goals as well as Robbie. It can't just fall on his shoulders."

Ten players have found the net so far for Burnley this season, yet only injured duo Ian Moore and Richard Chaplow, along with Graham Branch, have scored more than once.

The Clarets have also failed to find the net in four of their last six games, but Cotterill feels sure the tide will turn once the present injury crisis clears up.

He added: "Against Spurs we had some great chances and we do that every week, so we've got goals in us and one of these days we're going to hit someone hard.

"But don't forget, we've had Ian Moore missing, who's liable to be up there and take a few chances.

"Sooner or later things will fall for us, but we have to carry on doing what we're doing and not feel sorry for ourselves.

"If we do that nothing will ever happen, but if we carry on playing as we are - while it might appear like a hard luck story at the moment - things will turn."

Cotterill is again playing the waiting game as his walking wounded fight to be fit to face Forest at Turf Moor.

Central defensive duo John McGreal and Frank Sinclair both missed the midweek Carling Cup clash with Spurs, and again face a race against time to recover from ankle and calf injuries respectively.

Graham Branch and Jean-Louis Valois both hope to feature after playing some part on Tuesday, while James O'Connor returns to the side after being cup-tied.

Cotterill admitted: "The injured players are coming on alright, but I don't know how quick, or what alright is.

"We've got a couple of big days for a couple of big players, and we'll have a close look at them, but what we mustn't do is bring them back too early and then lose them again.

"Jean-Louis thought he was okay, and then he came on and was okay for a while, but once fatigue sets into a muscle injury, he has to come off.

"We didn't really want him to go on, and we'd have preferred for Branchy not to start, but we didn't have anybody else.

"But that pleases me that they wanted to play, because it has been tough on them.

"They will be better for it though, all the stresses, strains and anxiety are things that make you tougher in the long run."

dbentley@the-let.co.uk