FOOTBALL is a sport that lends itself to superstitions. In the dressing room players will put their kit on a particular way before each match.

Others will always walk out on to the pitch in the same position in the line up.

In the stands fans will wear the same shirt, jacket and trousers throughout a good run, although hopefully "lucky" underpants are at least washed between big games.

And those Clarets fans of a superstitious nature will have greeted the news of Stan Ternent's manager of the month award with a mixture of delight and horror.

The delight is obvious. Four wins and a draw throughout November helped send Burnley back to the top of the table where they are now only 13 places behind Manchester United. Who would have thought that possible just a few years ago?

But, oh the horror. Tradition almost demands that the winner of the award will then see his side struggle in the next game which, for Burnley, happens to be the small matter of a Lancashire derby against similarly in-form Preston North End.

Preston were also unbeaten last month and have not lost since being beaten at Crewe 11 games ago and if they are celebrating three points at 2.45pm on Sunday visiting fans may be wishing it was David Moyes who had been last month's award winner.

After all, Ternent was pipped to the award for August by Grimsby Town's Lennie Lawrence and the Mariners have barely won a corner since then, never mind a game.

But there are good reasons for Clarets followers to be hopeful that the bubbles from Ternent's champagne will not go flat.

First of all, the timing of the award means that Burnley have already played and won in December, victory at Crystal Palace ensuring the new month began the way the old one ended.

Secondly, the last time the Burnley boss was named as manager of the month was in April of the promotion year.

That meant that the Clarets went into their crucial final game of the season at Scunthorpe United with the curse of the award hanging over their heads.

But they won 2-1, Gillingham lost at Wrexham and Burnley were promoted.

So there is no need for doom and gloom ahead of the trip to Deepdale, far from it.

Whatever happens this weekend the Clarets are certain to reach the halfway stage of their season in the top two of the first division and if that is the case after the second half of the season, the bubbly really will start flowing through the streets of Burnley.