SO THAT'S that then!

Steve Cotterill must be tearing his hair out after the frankly ridiculous decision not to award Artim Sakiri a work permit.

I don't claim to be an expert on a complicated subject, but from the outside this looks like bureaucracy gone mad!

Given the size of the Burnley squad, you don't need to be a Government statistician to know that the Macedonian midfielder would get a high percentage of games under his belt at Turf Moor.

He would earn his corn and pay his taxes just like the rest of us, but just because Macedonia are not a footballing force and their former captain no longer appears to figure in his nation's plans, he is told he can't earn a living here.

Where that leaves Burnley is anyone's guess.

Optimism was high coming into the season on the back of a five-match unbeaten sequence, but that has quickly been blown out of the water by two successive defeats.

The bubble has been pricked and already the pressure will be building on everyone to get that first win under their belt.

That's a shame because there is already enough pressure on the manager and the squad. We can only hope they pick up three points sooner, rather than later to settle everyone down and provide the platform for the coming months.

Steve appears to have a few more headaches to solve at the moment. Garreth O'Connor and Wade Elliott have yet to settle after making a step up.

The goalkeeper's shirt is also up for grabs and until either Brian Jensen or Danny Coyne has a storming performance to lay down a marker, I wouldn't be surprised if he keeps alternating both men.