ADRIAN Heath is hoping for a massive show of support for his first home match in charge on Saturday (March 16).

The new boss wants fans to forget any off-the-field issues and concentrate on getting behind the team for what will be a very tough game.

Swindon Town come to Turf Moor as hot favourites to win not only the game but the second division championship as well.

And after a win against Bristol and defeat at Blackpool, Heath admits Burnley face a big struggle to win promotion this season.

He told the Citizen: "I know it's an old football cliche, but we'll just take every game as it comes. There are plenty of matches left and we need an unbeaten run of four or five."

Heath's return to Burnley made a big impact, and his appointment has been warmly greeted by the fans, which is something he appreciates.

"There was an unbelievably good response last week," he said. "The team need the supporters to get behind them and give them wholehearted encouragement."

On the subject of transfers, he said: "I've got several irons in the fire, but I won't be doing anything just for the sake of it. Any players I buy will come here on a permanent basis, for two or three years at least."

When Heath was a player with the Clarets, he used to spend hours making up sports quizzes to pass the time on coach journeys to away games. That's something he has very little time for now.

"Sometimes, you'd be stuck in a hotel room for hours with nothing to do, " he said. "It was just a way of passing the time. But it's not something I'll be doing any more. I've got too much on my plate now!"

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