CONSIDERING all the movements of Adrian Heath in the last seven years, it's a wonder he actually remembers Turf Moor.

And the former Burnley player and manager can't have been expecting another reunion at such an early stage of this season following another typically turbulent summer.

Heath, who followed Jimmy Mullen into the Burnley hot-seat for 15 months in 1996 before leaving to join Howard Kendall at Everton, has since been resident at Sheffield United, Sunderland, Leeds and tomorrow's Championship opponents, Coventry City.

He looked to be on the move yet again last month when Derby County swooped for the Sky Blues' assistant manager. However, just one week after agreeing to become right-hand man to new Rams' boss Phil Brown, a bizarre twist found him back working under Micky Adams and preparing for tomorrow's well-worn path back to Burnley - the club second only to beloved Everton in his affections.

"I never get tired of hearing about Burnley and I've said on many occasions what I think of the club," revealed Heath.

"Obviously a lot of water has passed under the bridge since I left in 1997 and I think there's only the people behind the scenes left from that era, but it's a terrific club and I always look forward to returning.

"They've had three managers since I left and the club has moved on from my time, but I've moved on quite a bit too."

Heath, who had a brief spell in charge of Sheffield United before becoming assistant to Peter Reid at The Stadium of Light and Elland Road, took caretaker charge at Highfield Road after Reid's departure in January 2005.

After staying on when Adams took over, new horizons again beckoned when he was lured onto Derby's coaching staff last month - briefly!

"The Derby thing was something that could have been handled better in a lot of areas," explained Heath. "Basically I got offered a deal there that was very good for me, but at that time the club wasn't compensated because Derby couldn't afford it.

"I was fortunate that the Coventry chairman and Micky Adams didn't want me to go in the first place, so I was delighted to be back at Coventry within a week.

"The mindset was a little strange because naturally I had resigned myself to leaving, but it's something I've had to put to the back of my mind and get on with the job here."

So far, that seems to be going to plan. The delayed completion of City's brand new, 32,000 all-seater Ricoh Arena meant City's game at Turf Moor will be their third successive away game to start the season, following creditable draws at Norwich and Millwall.

But Heath knows that unbeaten run faces a stern examination as Steve Cotterill looks to get Burnley up and running following back-to-back defeats.

"Steve is terrific at what he does," he added. "Everybody in this league, except one or two of the bigger clubs, is trying to take free transfers and work on their wage bills, so we're all in a delicate position.

"You are forever looking for that one player who someone has made a mistake in releasing and it can take time to get a team together. But if he is given that time, I'm sure Steve will be the one to try to get them out of this division.

"I'm sure he would say he was incredibly lucky with injuries last season and you are playing with fire if you think you can get away with that again. But with a fair wind, I'm sure he can enjoy another good season."