CHRIS Waddle and Burnley are coming under increasing pressure from anxious supporters as their position at the foot of the Second Division worsens.

Tomorrow night's Auto Windscreens Shield tie against Notts County at Turf Moor has become a crucial clash for the player-manager and his team.

The competition rates well below the FA Cup and Coca-Cola Cup in importance, but it represents Burnley's only chance of any success this season.

And, with the fans becoming more and more frustrated at the team's disastrous league form, only a tonic victory will bring any relief.

Waddle is still trying to bring in another striker to lift the gloom in front of goal but he said: "It is frustrating that we haven't been able to bring someone in.

"But if you can't change things then you've got to work with what you've got.

"We do need someone who can go up front.

"If Cookey or Barnesy isn't playing well then we haven't got anybody who is a natural forward who we can bring in.

"We've got Lee Howey who has been used there before but he has been playing well at the back."

Waddle has pursued Manchester City's Gerry Creaney since the striker had a successful loan spell at Turf Moor.

But now Creaney has gone toi Chesterfield on loan, it seems that avenue has finally closed.

The move came out of the blue for Waddle who said: "It would have been nice to have a phone call to say 'Look, I'm going out on loan'. "But we don't know what the situation was there.

"I can't see things developing any further in that direction. But obviously we have got other targets we'll now have to pursue."

Defeat at Gillingham left the Clarets marooned at the foot of Division Two, with the gap growing all the time between them and safety.

But Waddle felt his players had given everything to the cause.

"Cookey had a good chance to make it 1-1 and I thought if we got that we could get back into the game," he said.

"I can't fault the players. I thought everyone of them had a good game. The players have given everything they've got.

"They competed, they put their feet in and they had chances.

"We've had chances the last three games but you've got to put them away, it's as simple as that. I don't think Gillingham were much better than us. But they've scored the goals. They were sloppy goals, which I am disappointed at, but goals change games."

Waddle is still not despondent, despite his team's awful slump after brighter things had been promised.

"I have seen some good things," he said. "It's not as if we are getting ripped apart by anybody. And it's not as if we are cut off by 20 points from anybody at the bottom of the table.

"We've still got a lot to play for. I'm still up for it and the players are still up for it."

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