I HAVE my mother to thank for missing out on Saturday's Millmoor mauling.

The occasion was her birthday. And so it was that I eschewed the scrapyards and pukka pies of Rotherham for the all together more pleasant surroundings of a local restaurant.

Having seen the goals on television and spoken with some who made the journey, it would appear I had a lucky escape.

Stan Ternent seemed particularly upset with the team's performance, and if Brian Jensen's inexplicable decision-making for the first two goals was indicative of the team's performance as a whole, then I can see why.

Thank heavens Crystal Palace managed to beat Walsall, making next Sunday's game against Sunderland a tension-free affair.

One Claret who witnessed Saturday's demise first hand was Dave Thomas - no not that Dave Thomas - a lifelong Burnley supporter and sometime writer.

Many of you will be familiar with his excellent book, "It's Burnley Not Barcelona", an account of the Clarets 2002-03 season.

Those who enjoyed the book will be delighted to hear that Dave's been at it again.

The idea behind the provisionally titled "No Nay Never", is to look at the key figures, personalities and events which have shaped Burnley's long and proud history.

Dave's book is an anthology of writing about Burnley FC and is structured around the work of eminent sports writers and journalists who have written substantial pieces about the club.

He's got some big names involved: Hunter Davis, Simon Inglis, Colin Shindler, Stuart Hall, David McVay, Matthew Engel and Ian Woolridge have all contributed.

There's even room for a two bob hack who shares the same name as me. In short, it's a book which will enthrall Clarets of all generations.

However, there's a snag. The book will cost around £7,000 to publish. And just like the Clarets, Dave doesn't have lots of money to throw around.

In order to meet the production costs on this limited edition book, patrons and subscribers are being sought. The cost of being a patron is £100, while the cost of being an advance subscriber stands at £50.

Benefits are attached to both packages.

Life could be made a lot easier of course if an individual, a group of individuals or a local business could manage to help Dave out.

For anyone toying with the idea, there are three great incentives: you'll have the eternal thanks of Dave Thomas, you will have played a massive part in helping bring to life what promises to be a fantastic book, and most importantly, you'll be helping Burnley FC with all profits going to the Clarets.

Anyone interested should get in touch with Dave via the newspaper.