WOULD-BE giant-killer Stan Ternent insists his Burnley side have a fighting chance of pulling off a shock and dumping Premiership Derby County out of the FA Cup tomorrow.

The odds are against the Clarets as they travel to Pride Park to take on a side struggling in the Premiership but still boasting half-a-dozen full internationals.

However, Burnley's recent league form is impressive and they have proved themselves difficult to beat away from home this season, raising hopes that they could engineer a third-round upset.

"It's not beyond the bounds of possibility that we could go down there and get a result if we go and play our own way.

"If we get a break or two, who knows what will happen?" said Ternent, who insists that his Second Division promotion-chasers will have no inferiority complex as they bid to take their place in Sunday afternoon's fourth-round draw for only the second time since 1983.

"We have no hang-ups or fear factor about it because our players are more than capable and a lot of them have played at that level. There will be total respect but no fear," he said.

Ternent knows that with 5,000 Clarets fans behind his team there will still be a high level of expectation, although he stressed: "All the onus is on them. We go there as complete underdogs, although I feel we've got some good players in my squad.

"We are going to a fantastic stadium to play against a Premiership team of international players.

"It's a great test for my team and our players and it will be interesting to see how they respond. "The Premiership is classed as the best league in the world, or at least the toughest, and it's certainly a great test for my players and I know they are looking forward to it. It will be a fantastic day out and bring in some much-needed revenue to the club.

"We are having a fairly good season, playing some good open, attractive football and it will be a nice change from the league. Cup days are always special."

Of the Burnley side, Mitchell Thomas, Gordon Armstrong, Paul Cook and John Mullin have all played top-flight football in this country, while Andy Payton has tasted Premier League football north of the border.

Ternent accepts that experience will play a part, although he won't worry overly about the track record of some of Derby's big-name players like Craig Burley, who he coached at Chelsea, and former Manchester City favourite Georgi Kinkladze.

"If we set our stall out to stop this one or that one from playing you lose track of what you're doing yourself.

"Experience of big games does come into it and a lot of our players have played at the highest level and are comfortable with it," the Burnley boss added.

On the other side of the coin, rising stars like Glen Little and Andy Cooke will be keen to show that they can cut the mustard in this kind of company as the Clarets bid to go one better than whey they lost to Derby in a replay in 1992 - which coincidentally also followed a 2-0 second-round win over Rotherham United. Cooke, Cook, Armstrong and Micky Mellon will all return to the Clarets' starting line-up after being rested for the mid-week Auto Windscreens Shield defeat at Wigan.

Derby may name the side that lost to a late penalty against Leeds United last Sunday, although Spencer Prior stands by to replace defender Jacob Laursen, who picked up a knock in that game.

Striker Mikkel Beck was expected to return to County from a loan spell at Nottingham Forest today and could be on the bench, alongside former Blackburn Rovers midfielder Lars Bohinen.

Burnley from: Crichton, West, Armstrong, Mellon, Davis, Thomas, Little, Cook, Cooke, Payton, Mullin, Jepson, Johnrose, Branch, Brass, Lee, Weller, Cowan, Robertson.

Derby from: Poom, Laursen, Carbonari, Elliott, Delpa, Burley, Powell, Kinkladze, Johnson, Sturridge, Burton, Prior, Dorigo, Christi, Nminin, Beck, Bohinen, Holt (gk).

Burnley's youth team entertain Blackpool in the Youth Alliance tomorrow.

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