We're all delighted for young Chappy

I'm sure Richard Chaplow is in for quite a bit of stick off the lads over the coming days following his U19 call up, but equally we're all delighted for him.

It's a fantastic achievement, more so considering this time last year most Burnley fans probably had little idea who Chappy was!

But there can be no doubt he has earned the recognition after grabbing his first team opportunity with both hands.

The stupid thing is that if the gaffer had the players he wanted still at the club, Chappy probably wouldn't have had that chance so soon.

I said when he first came into the side that we needed young players to come through and help us through the predicament and he has been a real bonus.

Young lads like him go out and play without any fear because they don't know anything else. Sometimes that can work for you.

People also say they don't cost you much in wages and if you look at most clubs in the First Division and the Nationwide League, they all have young players coming through.

The likes of Phil Jagielka, Michael Tonge and Andy Reid are all good examples of this and they have all gone on to earn international recognition.

We always seemed to miss the boat, so that just adds to the general feeling of elation that Chappy has finally got the nod.

Hopefully, we can carry that wave of euphoria into the FA Cup tie this weekend. Nobody needs to spell out to the players just how important the game is for the club and all the talk about finances won't affect us because we are desperate to win.

Once you reach the fifth round, who knows where that can lead you as the excitement really kicks in?

Gillingham used to be a bit of a bogey team for us, but I'm glad to say we seem to have put that one to rest in recent years.

The other good thing about the game is the low-key preparation we've had. Usually FA Cup ties throw something new into the mix, like the trip to Mansfield. But being drawn out to play Gillingham feels just like another league game has ben added to the rosta.

Naturally you look forward though and all players want to pit their wits against the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal.

That could be just 90 minutes away and with the way the draw has shaped up, there's not that many teams going to be left in it.

You would expect all the fancied teams to make it through and that improves the odds of us landing a big fish.

What we really need now is the fans to get behind us and hopefully we'll all be celebrating come Saturday night.

AN ENGLAND star in the Burnley dressing room. How cool is that?

I'm sure Richard Chaplow is in for quite a bit of stick off the lads over the coming days following his U19 call up, but equally we're all delighted for him.

It's a fantastic achievement, more so considering this time last year most Burnley fans probably had little idea who Chappy was!

But there can be no doubt he has earned the recognition after grabbing his first team opportunity with both hands.

The stupid thing is that if the gaffer had the players he wanted still at the club, Chappy probably wouldn't have had that chance so soon.

I said when he first came into the side that we needed young players to come through and help us through the predicament and he has been a real bonus.

Young lads like him go out and play without any fear because they don't know anything else. Sometimes that can work for you.

People also say they don't cost you much in wages and if you look at most clubs in the First Division and the Nationwide League, they all have young players coming through. The likes of Phil Jagielka, Michael Tonge and Andy Reid are all good examples of this and they have all gone on to earn international recognition.

We always seemed to miss the boat, so that just adds to the general feeling of elation that Chappy has finally got the nod.

Hopefully, we can carry that wave of euphoria into the FA Cup tie this weekend. Nobody needs to spell out to the players just how important the game is for the club and all the talk about finances won't affect us because we are desperate to win.

Once you reach the fifth round, who knows where that can lead you as the excitement really kicks in?

Gillingham used to be a bit of a bogey team for us, but I'm glad to say we seem to have put that one to rest in recent years.

The other good thing about the game is the low-key preparation we've had. Usually FA Cup ties throw something new into the mix, like the trip to Mansfield. But being drawn out to play Gillingham feels just like another league game has been added to the rosta.

Naturally you look forward though and all players want to pit their wits against the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal.

That could be just 90 minutes away and with the way the draw has shaped up, there's not that many top teams going to be left in it.

You would expect all the fancied teams to make it through and that improves the odds of us landing a big fish.

What we really need now is the fans to get behind us and hopefully we'll all be celebrating come Saturday night.