OF all the players for Paul Gascoigne to go head to head with on his Burnley debut, it had to be Stuart McCall.

The pair have won just three shy of 100 international caps between them and were team-mates during Walter Smith's reign at Rangers.

In fact their departures from Ibrox were separated only by a matter of weeks as Gazza came south of the border to Middlesbrough and McCall returned to his beloved Bantams.

But if Gascoigne wanted proof that football life need not end at 34, the figure he will reach in May, then the evidence will be facing him tomorrow night.

McCall was in his mid-30s when he helped Bradford achieve their dream of a place in the Premier League and he continued to be a key figure in the middle of the park as they defied the odds by beating the drop in their first season.

There was no hope of avoiding the drop the second time around and the club has struggled to get to grips with life back in the nationwide this season.

McCall, who will be 38 a couple of weeks after Gazza turns 35, is now considering hanging up his boots after a great career that also him, like Gascoigne, play at Everton.

The former Scotland star could be a prime candidate to be grabbing hold of the prize of Gazza's first ever Burnley shirt.