STEVE Cotterill believes young Burnley striker Kyle Lafferty will improve tenfold by remaining on loan at Darlington.

The Belfast-born 18-year-old has been a huge hit in the north east, scoring three times in six appearances since joining the Quakers for work experience' last month.

Cotterill insists that if he had a bigger squad at his disposal, more young guns would be sent out to gain valuable first team experience.

And the Clarets chief reckons youth and reserve team regular Lafferty, who made four brief appearances as a Clarets first team substitute at the start of the season, will benefit greatly from an extended spell with the League Two promotion chasers.

Cotterill, who has this week agreed to let the 18-year-old remain with David Hodgson's side for another month, insisted: "It would be the wrong thing to bring Kyle back because he will only go and play in the reserves.

"I think David (Hodgson) being a striker will help Kyle and they seem to be happy with him. Every Football League game he plays is worth ten youth team games and ten reserve team games, so I think it's good for him to be there at the moment and if I had a bigger squad there would be a few more doing that because it's up to them then.

"It might not be as comfortable for Kyle playing at Darlington rather than in the Burnley youth team, the reserves and on the bench for the first team now and then.

"Up there he has to stick his neck on the block by holding the ball up, winning his headers and scoring goals.

"Darlington will judge him on that, whereas if he doesn't quite do all of those things here at Burnley then people will say he's only as young lad."

So far, Lafferty has met all those challenges head-on, finding the net with three clinical right-foot finishes and picking up two bookings as part of the steep learning curve.

And Cotterill knows the teenage talent is heading in the right direction because of the buzz he is quickly generating.

The Burnley manager added: "Fair play to Kyle and I am delighted with him.

"Nobody knew the name Kyle Lafferty a month ago and now a few people at that level know all about him.

"That means that even if he doesn't make it here - and that's not to say he won't - there is a living for him in the game, which is fantastic."