Yates can yet make his mark

First team coach Yates has been topping up his fitness levels in his joint role as reserve team manager.

And Clarets boss Steve Cotterill, who handed his right hand man a squad number on the eve of the season, has now revealed he is prepared to call on Yates in a dogs-of-war situation.

"I have given Mark a squad number for emergencies," explained Cotterill.

"To be fair all round, I'd rather not use him, but when we play and we are short of numbers he is there.

"He plays for the reserves and he will be one of the better players there because he has leadership qualities.

"Obviously I know that from Cheltenham, but bear in mind the lad has played non-league, then came into the Conference with me and then the Football League.

"The highest he has played is in the second division, so it's another big jump to the first division if we were to lob him in, especially at 34.

"So I don't think I would put him in and start him. But if he was on the bench and you needed an older head with plenty of courage for the last five minutes, I think I would be tempted to throw Mark on."

Cotterill has gone to remarkable lengths to keep his small squad up and running this season.

Ice baths were introduced during pre-season training to keep the blood flowing to the muscles, while a club masseur has also been employed to keep the players supple.

This week, Cotterill even turned to a high-tech oxygen tank to try to help goalkeeper Danny Coyne recover quicker from a hamstring strain.

"The ice baths , masseurs and other stuff have stood us in good stead so far to get all the players as far as we've got them," added Cotterill.

"It's been recorded over a two-year period that July and August are big months for injuries and if you can try to sidestep them, dare I say you might have cracked it.

"Maybe what we've been doing has helped. It's taken a lot more time, thought and theory because of the numbers we've got, but having said that, it's worked to our advantage so far."