MICKY Mellon doesn’t like to think too far ahead in football, but he knows what would make for a perfect end to his season.

“For Fleetwood to earn a place in the Football League and for Burnley to get back into the Premier League. We would all be happy then,” said the former Clarets midfielder, who celebrated his second year as Fleetwood boss yesterday.

In that time he has guided Town from the Blue Square North to the top of the non-league pyramid, with a first appearance in the FA Cup second round thrown in for good measure.

The next step is to conquer the Blue Square Bet Premier.

Only two points adrift of leaders Crawley Town, with 18 points from their first 10 games, they have made a good start. Mellon knows how big a challenge it will be to sustain that. But with the likes of Peter Cavanagh, Ian Craney and Anthony Barry, who all helped Accrington Stanley win the Conference in 2006, in the side, as well as veteran full back Alan Wright, who won the Premier League with Blackburn Rovers, he has the right people on board and is equipped to aim higher.

“We are full time and we’ve got a full time squad with 23 or 24 players. Everything’s in place,” said Mellon, who made almost 100 league and cup appearances for Burnley between January 1999 and March 2001.

The 38-year-old Scot returned to Turf Moor as a centre of excellence coach at the end of his player career, following a brief spell as assistant manager at Lancaster City, before being appointed Fleetwood boss two years ago yesterday.

“We’ve got very talented players who currently should be playing in the Football League, and who have played in the Football League and are hungry to get back there,” he continued.

“The Conference is a very strong league and very difficult to get out of.

“I don’t think we’ve played a team yet who’s not played in the Football League.

“There’s us and maybe two or three others who haven’t been Football League clubs.

“When you look at Luton, Grimsby, York and Wrexham, they would probably be bigger than a lot of teams in the Football League.

“But why not Fleetwood? If it can’t be done why are we all trying.

“You have to look at the fairytales that have happened in football with Burnley and Blackpool getting to the Premier League.

“I want to get in there among the 92 again,” added Mellon, who made 470 career league appearances.

“But we’re keeping our feet on the floor. I don’t want to plan too far ahead.

“It’s going well at the moment “I don’t think I made a schedule when I got the job. You can’t do that in football. If you start, you create problems for yourself.

“Football’s such a delicate game results wise you can lose a game with a shot at goal from 25 yards.

“I would like to think I came here thinking I wanted to do well and I still would like to kick on and try to get in the Football League.

“We’re in the pack at the minute and if we can stay in there we’ve got a good opportunity.

“But our next target is to win on Saturday and then take it from there.”

While Mellon is preparing for the visit of Bath City tomorrow, two of his old teams go head-to-head at Turf Moor. But it’s the Clarets he is rooting for.

“It’s one of the first results I look for after quarter to five when we’ve digested our own result,” he said.

“My connections there are not just in a football capacity – I coached there with the young ones too.

“I started my career with Bristol City and I’m fond of the club, but my ties are with Burnley.

“They’ve got the infrastructure and fanbase to be in the Premier League again, and at the minute the league table’s suggesting they have the players.

“If they carry on as they’ve started I’m sure they will be up there.”