THE Clarets travel to play-off chasing Nottingham Forest this afternoon looking to end a run of five straight away defeats and build on Saturday's 2-0 win against Gillingham.

Goals from Gareth Taylor and Drissa Diallo secured a comfortable match in a low-key game but this afternoon's clash at the City Ground will be anything but.

With Ipswich now just two points behind Forest, the pressure is on, and Burnley boss Stan Ternent will be in a position to do his old pal Joe Royle a big favour.

But he has his own targets and reasons for wanting to win as he said: "We are aiming for the top ten and certainly want to finish as high as we can. It wasn't easy on Saturday but they did extremely well."

Ternent was today checking on his walking wounded to see if he will be able to add a bit of experience to his squad having given teenager Matty O'Neill his first start in place of injured Dimitri Papadopoulos and named four youngsters on the bench.

"Dean West pulled a groin in training on Friday," he explained as Mark McGregor moved to right back with Diallo fit to return alongside Graham Branch. "West might be okay for this afternoon and Dimi could be okay. Coxy is also a little closer."

But there is a doubt about Paul Weller, who limped off to be replaced by 18-year-old Richard Chaplow just before half time on Saturday.

"Weller has got a hamstring problem but I won't know until this morning how bad it is and whether he will be available.

"But there were a lot of positives to take out of Saturday's game and I thought the crowd was very good. Chappy and Knocker (O'Neill) did well and Andrew Waine and Mark Rasmussen got a taste.

"Chappy is very comfortable on the ball and he is a good athlete. As he gets older he will get stronger and bigger."

Today's match will be played exactly one year after that agonising afternoon against Coventry City when the Clarets fell just one goal short of being in the top six. David Johnson was in the side that day but this afternoon he will be looking to score past Burnley and maintain Forest's place in the play-off places.

Like Burnley last year, they have been up there virtually all season, albeit a long way off the top two.

Burnley have lost on both trips to the City Ground since they returned to the second tier of English football and they have not had back to back wins since the start of last month.