BURNLEY chairman Barry Kilby will today meet Steve Cotterill for crisis talks following Leicester City's rejected approach for the manager. Clarets reporter Darren Bentley believes it is D-Day for the club.

Perhaps it's just as well that Burnley are 300 miles away tonight.

For it gives chairman Barry Kilby plenty of thinking time on the long road south for crisis talks with Steve Cotterill.

The nightmare scenario he must have dreaded following Craig Levein's sacking has become reality, with Leicester City now courting Cotterill as his successor.

Awaiting Kilby at a Brighton hotel will be a manager still upset at losing star strike Ade Akinbiyi and frustrated by the protracted talks over an extension to his current contract, which tellingly appear to have ground to a halt.

Make no mistake, the next day or two will be crucial to Burnley Football Club's immediate future.

And the Clarets chairman could need all his powers of persuasion to keep a hold of the manager he appointed a year-and-a-half ago.

Who could blame fed-up Cotterill for wanting to hear what Leicester have to offer?

His brief reign at Turf Moor has been a constant and bitter cash struggle, despite seeing his leading goalscorer sold twice in as many seasons to effectively balance the books.

Only ten days ago, looking crestfallen after Ade Akinbiyi's departure, he spoke of a wish to one day have the destiny of players in his own hands.

Since then, Cotterill's silence has been deafening.

Kilby will doubtless argue that it was he who offered a fiercely ambitious young manager a route back into the dug out - a job that ironically caught Cotterill's eye while coaching at Leicester inbetween managerial roles.

Yet it is my belief that no matter what improved offer Kilby now places before Cotterill in a bid to secure his long-term services, the Clarets chief will steadfastly refuse to sign an extended deal.

That will, to coin his own phrase, put the ball firmly back in Kilby's court.

Does he then hold an unhappy' manager to ransom to serve out his remaining 18-months, or allow him to talk to Leicester in the hope he sees the grass elsewhere is no greener?

A move to the lush Walkers Stadium could be seen as jumping out of the frying pan.

However, despite their precarious league position, managing a big-city Championship club, averaging over 20,000 in a spanking new, purpose built stadium, surely remains an attractive proposition for any manager worth his salt.

Of course, Cotterill is not the only candidate as the Foxes look for a saviour to halt their slide towards a first ever season in division three.

Serial applicant Peter Reid has predictably wasted no time throwing his hat into the ring, while others - some ridiculous, some eyebrow-raising and others questionable in regard to their willingness to take the job - are also being banded about.

Former Foxes boss and director of football Dave Bassett, the readily available John Gregory and Phil Parkinson at Colchester fit neatly into those three categories.

However, availability does not seem to be an issue. City's pursuit of Cotterill is clear evidence the financially stricken Foxes are prepared to pay compensation for the right man to become the sixth manager in as many years.

Luton's Mike Newell remains another possibility through his previous links with the club - although his Luton connections are equally deep-seated.

Surprise candidate Gudjon Thordarsson has also been told by Notts County they would not stand in his way should he fancy a crack at the poisoned chalice.

Yet the noises from the Midlands are they want a manager with an affiliation to the club and my understanding is that former coach Cotterill's appointment would be warmly welcomed.

Contrast that with the icy blast further north should Leicester finally get their man.