Auto Windscreens Shield (Northern): Hartlepool v Burnley - Brian Doogan's big match preview

GLEN Little has given a resounding thumbs up to the Auto Windscreens Shield.

The former Crystal Palace apprentice, whom Burnley signed for £100,000 from Smirnoff Irish League side Glentoran two weeks ago, is hoping to make his bow in a Clarets shirt tonight.

Manager Adrian Heath will probably give some of the fringe players a run-out tonight at Victoria Park but not because he takes the competition anything less than seriously.

Gerry Harrison is unavailable for the Brentford match through suspension so Heath is likely to try someone else in his position tonight.

And one or two players may be rested.

Little hopes these circumstances will give him his chance.

"It would be nice to make my first appearance tonight but the boss won't be telling us until before the game," said the 21-year-old who was Glentoran's Player Of The Year last season.

"It's certainly not a Mickey Mouse game - an appearance at Wembley is up for grabs at the end of this competition and that's a prize worth striving for.

"The players are confident at the moment. There's a definite buzz. "We don't want to lose any match ... including tonight's."

That was certainly the message from Heath who considers the Auto Windscreens Shield to be Burnley's best chance this season of competing in a final at Wembley.

"The game tonight is as important as Saturday's FA Cup tie against Walsall was," said Heath who competed in two FA Cup finals for Everton, missed out on another through injury and was part of the Burnley team that tasted success in the play-offs under the twin towers in 1994.

"And we'll be approaching it in that way because it represents our best chance of getting to Wembley.

"There's nothing better than going to Wembley with 30,000 Clarets fans at one end and hopefully enjoying a good day out.

"Everyone puts this competition down in the early stages of the competition.

"But when you get to Wembley and there's 30,000 of your supporters there you have a fantastic day out.

"And some of the players who have never been anywhere near Wembley before experience some of that magic.

"The Auto Windscreens Shield means as much as anything to us. "Although people underestimate it at the beginning all of a sudden if you get to that Area final - which is like a double home game in terms of revenue - you have that chance to get to Wembley. "Then you've got the spin-offs and the fact that you bring people to the game who don't normally support us who might stay with us.

"So we'll be treating the competition with the respect it deserves."

Most teams will have a healthy respect too for the Clarets who are unbeaten over their last seven games.

"I would like to think that most managers in our area, or in our half of the draw, would say they wouldn't want to play us," added Heath.

"If we can get all the players in the right frame of mind for it - because that's the difficult thing in the early stages - we can go on to win the game.

"From our point of view we're going to go there full of confidence but we won't take the game lightly.

"I know from the situation there that they're up for this match.

"The players are pulling for Mick Tait who's just taken over as caretaker manager and they do want him to have the job.

"So it's important that we approach it in a professional manner - they're professionals and they'll be going out there to win."

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