Grant signs up for the big kick-off

The former Stockport forward has been rewarded for an impressive pre-season showing and now starts his bid to win a permanent contract at Turf Moor.

However, there is no place in the set-up for Martin Smith who has agreed a one-year deal with Sheffield United.

Burnley go to Adams Park with a powerful squad which marks them down as likely promotion challengers.

However, manager Stan Ternent injected a note of realism into events ahead of the big kick-off by warning people who have the Clarets down as stone-cold certainties to go up not to count their chickens.

"They're letting their hearts rule their head. It's positive and it's good that the expectation level is high," he said.

"We all want the same thing but to talk about automatic promotion now isn't sensible.

"It's a long season. But what I would expect is an improvement on last season."

That's actually the minimum requirement and while Ternent is right to keep things in perspective before a ball has been kicked, he does expect his re-shaped squad to deliver the goods. Among the new signings to have raised hopes is experienced defender Mitchell Thomas, who provides a lucky omen as Burnley bid to end their Adams Park jinx and get their campaign off to a winning start.

The Clarets' record of losing all four of their previous games at Wycombe has been well documented.

But Thomas is untainted by failure at the Buckinghamshire ground and is hoping to extend his own 100 per cent record at the venue.

"A couple of lads have told me about it but fortunately enough for me I've won there I think every time I've played there. With Luton Town I've done quite well.

"Obviously they're going to make it difficult for us but we've got enough in the camp to show that we can win there," said Thomas.

Tom Cowan, Paul Cook and summer recruits Dean West, John Mullin and Alan Lee weren't involved either when the Clarets lost 2-0 to Lawrie Sanchez's side back in February.

Since then a new air of confidence and belief has swept through Turf Moor on the back of the 11-game unbeaten run which carried the Clarets clear of relegation danger at the end of last season.

And Ternent insists past results between the two clubs will have no bearing on tomorrow's outcome.

"The players are well prepared. They have had a smashing pre-season and worked extremely hard.

"All I have to do is pick what I consider the best squad for this game and then when the ball moves we will be doing our best to make sure the best team wins, and it might just be Burnley."

Ternent is raring to go at the start of his second season in charge of the Clarets. "I always get a buzz when it gets this near," he said.

And the manager has the tools at his disposal this time around to make a real impact on the division.

He will unveil his new-look side for the first time just before kick-off and having already selected the line-up in his mind he will have had some tough choices to make.

"There will be a few who are disappointed, obviously, but that's the way I wanted it," he added.

"Those who start will get first crack at it but if they don't perform there are plenty of others waiting to come in, and they are good circumstances for everyone at Burnley. "The main thing is to pick the right team and a winning team. I have a lot of permutations."

With strength-in-depth and the chance to use three of five named substitutes, Ternent looks set to utilise a squad system and at times pick horses for courses, which could mean different teams according to the opposition and the venue.

"Often I will pick a team depending on different things. You could be playing well and get left out of the side. It's a squad effort and a team effort," Ternent stressed.s-2f=helveticaf+bf-bo

Burnley's youngsters kick-off their North-West Youth Alliance programme at Wigan tomorrow (kick-off 11.00), while a reserve side will play at Unibond League club Ashton United (kick-off 3.00).

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