We want to keep our run going, says Thomas

MIRACLES apart, Burnley can forget a run in the Worthington Cup after they lost the opening leg of their first-round clash 5-0 at Manchester City.

But the Clarets still have plenty of incentive to perform in tonight's return at Turf Moor, when there will be points to prove on several fronts.

Viewing it is a one-off game - unless Burnley can possibly grab a couple of early goals to at least keep the tie alive - might be the most constructive approach and Stan Ternent's men will be looking to build on their encouraging start to the campaign.

"It's a strange game because they are 5-0 up but we are unbeaten at home and we want to keep that record if we can," insisted Clarets defender Mitchell Thomas.

"We've got to keep our confidence up and obviously if we win tonight we'll be that bit more confident for the game against Stoke on Saturday.

"The main thing is the promotion campaign. A good performance tonight would give us a solid foundation to take into the Stoke game." And with Ternent set to ring the changes, a handful of players yet to feature heavily will be out to impress and keep themselves at the forefront of the manager's thinking for the Second Division battles that lie ahead.

"We are going to go for it even though we are 5-0 down.

"The manager is making some changes and people are pushing for places so they will be going for it and hopefully we will get a result," Thomas added.

And there is also a small matter of making amends for the first-leg drubbing, even if Thomas felt that result was unjustified.

"Even their manager said he didn't think it was a 5-0 game. It was just one of those games where every time they hit something or attacked it went in.

"We were unfortunate not to take the lead but you get those games sometimes," added the experienced defender, who is set to continue in the Clarets rearguard against a City side that put six past 10-man Sheffield United on Saturday.

Having lost 1-0 to Wolves on the opening day of the season, Joe Royle's team has kept three successive clean sheets since then against Fulham, Burnley and Adrian Heath's Blades. Royle believes their results to date have proved that City's players can at least hold their own in Division One.

"And I believe we are capable of more than that," he said after Sheffield United were blitzed by four second-half goals.

Even if he rests a number of players, City won't harbour any doubts about the outcome of the tie.

And Burnley midfielder Micky Mellon is looking forward to the challenge of taking on a City side that scored six times on their last visit to Turf Moor.

Mellon said: "The most important thing is to keep the unbeaten run going. What we're trying to do this year is make ourselves very difficult to beat at home.

"And this is another chance to do that against a team from a higher division."

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