GRAHAM Alexander faces up to his former club Preston tomorrow - with a glowing tribute from Burnley boss Owen Coyle.

The 35-year-old defender - who spent eight-and-a-half years at North End, making 400 appearances for the club - signed for the Clarets in August in a £200,000 move.

At the time of his transfer, the Scottish international revealed he shed a few tears because Preston "was a massive part of my life."

But despite Alexander's deep-rooted affection for the Deepdale outfit, Coyle believes the veteran full-back, who is expected to keep the skipper's armband tomorrow in the absence of Steven Caldwell, will be as professional as usual against his former club.

"I think Graham will be looking forward to it, because of his professionalism and how keen he is to do well for the team," said the Clarets manager "It's always nice when you come up against one of your former clubs - I know the feeling - and it's even nice when you go out and get a victory.

"Having said that, he served for a long time at that one club, and went on to become an international there with Scotland.

"But I just want Graham to go out and concentrate on his own game, and bring all the ability he's got to the game for Burnley.

"He's just a top class guy, a fantastic professional, a fantastic player, and we are very fortunate to have him here."