LENNY Johnrose stepped up his bid to face former club Bury on Boxing Day by claiming Burnley's winner against Cardiff with his first touch of the game.

Johnrose came off the bench to score in the 69th-minute and earn the Clarets the 2-1 win which lifted them back up to fifth place in the table.

And with Paul Cook set to miss Sunday's game at Gigg Lane through suspension, Johnrose couldn't have timed his goal better.

"It was pleasing but more pleasing to get the win to carry on the run," said Johnrose, who has started only nine games this season due to a combination of injuries and a string of good results with Cook and Micky Mellon in central midfield.

He added: "It's obviously frustrating but it's frustrating for other lads who are on the side and you've just to take your chance when it comes. And fortunately for me on Saturday it worked out.

"We've got a good squad. It's taken 15 or 16 months to build it and lads that aren't in the side are pressing on and wanting to do well when they get in.

"Hopefully we won't get too many injuries but when we do we've got other lads who can step in and carry it on without too much difference really." And Johnrose would relish a crack at the Shakers, where he played for four seasons under Stan Ternent.

"Personally I'm looking forward to it but honestly it's no different from any other game and it's a game that if we play to our potential and all things being well we should win, although it doesn't always work out that way.

"We disregard Wigan and Preston totally and we are just playing to get as many decent results as we can.

"At the moment it's going very well for us and if we play well then most of the time we're going to win."

Johnrose must be in with a good chance of playing against Bury, although Graham Branch also made a strong claim for a starting slot with his performance against Cardiff and could play on the left flank with John Mullin moving inside.

One person who will certainly start, however, is full-back Dean West, another former Bury man.

West was taken off mid-way through the first-half as Burnley trailed 1-0 on Saturday and Clarets chief Ternent opted to switch to a 3-5-2 line-up.

However, Ternent confirmed today: "Dean West will definitely start. He was sacrificed but he did nothing wrong and has been playing very well. I just needed to change it." The re-shuffle worked to perfection as Burnley bounced back to level through Gordon Armstrong, who will miss the trip to Notts County on January 3 after collecting his fifth booking of the campaign, and then grab the points thanks to a superb second-half showing.

"It was a fantastic win and I thought the lads showed great character. We didn't start off too well and in the first half we had some problems," said Ternent.

"I changed it and we got back into the game and we could have been in front by half-time.

"In the second half we were much better, created numerous chances and we got in a bit of magic from Glen who produced a magic cross and Lenny, who does it so well, has got in and put it away for us. So it was a well merited win."

And Ternent was delighted that his players were able to raise their game again on the back of their FA Cup win at Derby.

"That's why I say it was terrific character," he said. "Tranmere have been on a terrific run and they lost, Bolton have been fantastic and they've lost. There's always sometimes after the Lord Mayor's show."

Clarets legend Jimmy McIlroy will officially open the stand named after him at Turf Moor before Burnley's home game against Oxford United on Tuesday, December 28.

McIlroy will be joined by the rest of the 1960 League Championship squad in a parade before the game, the last at Turf Moor this millenium.

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