Clarets winger Glen Little returns to action tonight in a bid to put himself in line for a first-team recall against Gillingham on Saturday.

Little will be given a run-out in the Burnley reserve side which travels to Pontins League First Division leaders Coventry City.

And if the wide man comes through unscathed he is likely to figure in manager Stan Ternent's plans for the weekend.

"We will give him half a game or so. He's doing all right and we'll see how he does.

"Half a game won't do him any harm," said Ternent.

Little's creativity has been missed since he was sidelined by a double hernia problem and a subsequent abductor muscle injury which has kept him out of all but four of Burnley's last 13 games.

And a return for the mercurial winger would be a major tonic for the Clarets who have been hit by injury and suspension problems at a time when they need to pick up points to pull themselves away from the fringes of the relegation battle.

The Clarets, without the banned Steve Davis for the Gillingham clash, were today still waiting news of the scan to Peter Swan's injured knee.

And he was joined in the treatment room by Andy Payton (dead leg) and goalkeeper Paul Crichton. Crichton injured an ankle late in Saturday's game at Wycombe on Saturday and Ternent confirmed: "It's a concern but we'll have to wait and see."

Mark Robertson (groin), Kevin Henderson (groin) and Chris Scott (tonsilitis) are also unable to train which leaves Ternent digging deep into his resources to name a reserve side to go to Highfield Road.

There will, however, be senior presence in the shape of Little, Mark Ford and Neil Moore.

Gillingham are in action tonight when they go to Bristol Rovers, aiming to keep their play-off challenge on course ahead of their visit to Turf Moor.

There are also some important games at the other end of the Second Division with Lincoln, away to Preston, and Northampton, home to Walsall, looking to close the gap on Burnley. Struggling Notts County also play, away to Luton Town. Off the field, chairman Barry Kilby yesterday met Ray Ingleby for the first time since his appointment to the board.

"We are putting budgets and a business plan together. Ray was in transit but he was staying in St Anne's over the weekend so we grabbed an opportunity for a meeting," Kilby confirmed.

"It was part of an on-going thing. We are putting the business plan together and needed some input from everybody and we will be putting it in black-and-white in about a fortnight's time."

The Clarets board are assembling a short, medium and long-term strategy for the club and its off-field management set-up and Kilby said it had been a constructive meeting with Ingleby.

The chairman added that he is still in negotiations with one or two potential investors and remains confident of getting more money into the club.

Further spending power for Ternent is not reliant on new backers and fresh cash, however.

"It's not dependent on that but we have to spend our money wisely. We are not pushing any panic buttons," said Kilby.

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