PAUL Smith will know for certain that he's back on the big stage when he lines up at Manchester City in the Worthington Cup tonight.

Smith started his first senior game in over ninth months when he helped the Clarets launch their season with a 1-1 draw at Wycombe Wanderers on Saturday.

And he is relishing the prospect of facing City in front of a bumper Maine Road crowd to help make up for the frustrations of two successive injury-ravaged seasons.

"They're the things you miss, especially with a big crowd," admitted Smith, who was in the Burnley side that drew 2-2 at City last October before being sidelined him again.

"We'd be going away to games and I'd be stuck in the treatment room on the exercise bike. "Manchester City is such a big club. They will have a lot of supporters there and so will we. It should be a great night really, and hopefully we'll get the right result as well." After a foot injury restricted him to just 14 League appearances in the 1997/98 season, Smith got 13 games under his belt last year before being struck down with knee problems which required surgery.

He came back as a substitute in the final game of last season and has carried on from there.

"I've had a really good pre-season. I've had no injuries and no complications with the knee or anything so I'm just pleased to be back," said Smith, who earned a place in the starting line-up against Wycombe in the left-back slot.

"I was half-hoping but you can never tell because he's got such a big squad now.

"If you aren't playing you just have to fight for your place but luckily I was playing.

"I'm happy to be playing anywhere to be honest," he added. Smith's absence has been a blow for successive managers at Turf Moor but hopefully this will be the season when the left-sided player, who's still only 23, gets the chance to fulfill his undoubted potential over a sustained period.

His availability adds substantially to Ternent's options. And the strength of Burnley's squad prompts Smith to believe they have a chance of toppling First Division City over two legs in the first-round clash to record their first cup success under Ternent.

"There are quite a lot of expectations this year and with the squad we've got we've got quite a good chance of beating them," he insisted.

"It's an extra bonus playing the cups and you are playing against better teams, so hopefully we will have a good run in this one and the FA Cup.

"We've got plenty of quality in our squad now and we proved even last season that we can go to Maine Road and do well there.

"I think we have to try and get an away goal and then bring them back to Turf in front of our own supporters and try and beat them there."

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