COVENTRY supporters must have thought it was a mirage as the Burnley lads and lasses of Arabia filed into Highfield Road for Saturday's FA Cup clash.

Some may have thought the Arabian Nights theme was poking fun at the Premiership side's Moroccan stars Moustapha Hadji and Youssef Chippo.

But nobody took the hump as Burnley fan Alan Boys sparked the idea on his unofficial website - because it was cheap and easy to do.

He said: "It was nowt to do with the Moroccan players. Some time ago the Park View Clarets dressed up in a desert theme during an away match at Carlisle.

"The reason we did it again was that it was easy to put together, using just a tea towel, and it did not cost anything.

"I was staggered when I saw how many people were dressed up.

"We had two ships of the desert - a coach and a minibus and there must have been more than 100 people dressed up.

"It was a fantastic day out despite the result."

More than 4,000 fans made the journey hoping for a repeat performance of Burnley's famous victory over Derby County in the third round.

But Chippo had the last laugh by scoring two of the goals in the 3-0 victory, then he showed his respect for the Burnley support by staying behind after the final whistle to applaud the away fans.

Match report: See SPORT/CLARETS section

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