Clarets skipper Steve Davis admits he would be devastated to collect a fifth booking of the season this weekend and miss the derby clash with Blackburn Rovers.

Davis and back-three partner Mitchell Thomas are just one yellow card away from a one-match ban which would come into effort for the Sky Television showdown if they are cautioned on Saturday.

But the defensive strongman insists that won't cloud his thinking when Burnley take on Nottingham Forest at Turf Moor.

He said: "It would be devastating for any of us to miss the Blackburn match but it's part of the game and we can't change the way we play.

"If you deliberately try and avoid it that's when you end up getting booked. You've just got to play the same way and hopefully come through it without any problems."

Davis and Thomas are key men for the Clarets and will be looking to avoid a repeat of the five goals Burnley leaked the last time they played Forest.

That was just a month ago at the City Ground, but Davis insists gaining three more points rather than avenging that scoreline will be the only motivation on Saturday.

"It doesn't matter if it's 1-0, 2-1 or anything, as long as we get the win to stay up there and keep our home form going. "We're certainly not going into it thinking we've got a chance of getting hammered," he said.

Forest have been on a decent run since beating Burnley but are still a point and a place below the sixth-placed Clarets thanks to a record of three wins and a draw for Stan Ternent's men since their set-back on the banks of the Trent.

"It shows how well we've started when we can afford not to play last weekend and still be in the top six and hopefully we can maintain our form and keep picking up results," Davis added.

"People said November was going to be a tough month but even without playing at Watford we still picked up a couple of wins and a draw.

"December will be a big test with the games coming thick and fast but when you're on a good run and picking up points that's the best way for it to happen.

"When you come up to Christmas and you're playing teams for a second time you realise you're over half way and coming down the home straight.

"It might only be December or January but it's something as a player you look out for and if we could still manage to be up there hopefully we could maintain it."

Meanwhile, Clarets record signing Ian Moore insists he will have nothing to prove against Forest.

The Nottingham club paid £1 million to sign Moore from Tranmere Rovers in March, 1997.

He made just a handful of starts before moving on to Stockport for £800,000 16 months later but stressed: "I don't think it came too soon for me. I think I was good enough at that age to play but you can't argue with Pierre Van Hoojdonk and Kev Campbell's record at the time."

The Clarets reserves are at Port Vale tonight.