BURNLEY Football Club and its supporters are hoping for an early Christmas present next month when the Nationwide League fixtures come out - a home game on Boxing Day.

The Clarets have been made to travel on December 26 for FIVE successive seasons and they are hoping that will not be the case this time.

Every club in the country gets the opportunity to make representations to the Football League ahead of the publishing of the new fixture list and the lack of Boxing Day action at Turf Moor is top of the Clarets observations.

Not only would it help the home fans to enjoy more time at home with their family, it is traditionally a well attended fixture and would provide important revenue.

Club secretary Cathy Pickup has made the club's views known to those that matter but chief executive Andrew Watson admitted: "It is down to the League who we play and when but we have not had a home game on Boxing Day in my three years at the club.

"Last summer we made the point that we had played Norwich City on Easter Monday and asked if we could have something a bit closer. The result, we played at Portsmouth!

"We are wondering if they will send us to play someone like St Etienne next Easter!"

But no matter what the fixture list holds when it is published, Watson is well aware that there will be plenty of long trips for the fans and the players.

"There will be some long journeys and it is inevitable that we will end up somewhere like Gillingham on Tuesday night but all the clubs ask is that the League shows a bit of understanding," he said.

"It is not just the fans who are affected by the long trips, it makes it all harder for the players."

Paul Smith, organiser of trips for the Boundary Clarets, admitted that it would be nice to have a home match on Boxing Day but he said: "I would rather make sure that we are going to places like Norwich, Ipswich, Gillingham and Portsmouth on a Saturday afternoon, 3pm kick off.

"It can be very hard work when you are going to places like Gillingham, not getting back until four or five in the morning and then getting up for work an hour later.

"Mind you, it does not matter where we go or when we play because we always get a good following. I think we took about 700 to the Priestfield last season on a Tuesday night and their fans could not believe how many we brought.

"As for Boxing Day, it would be nice to be at home but I don't mind too much so long as we have not got a very long journey.