It's not an ordinary game by any stretch of the imagination

Last updated : 27 March 2010 By Tony Scholes
For Laws, it is a first game between the clubs since he was in the Burnley side that played at Ewood Park in 1983, but for Allardyce he'll be up against us for the second time this season.

"This as a game to be enjoyed, not a game to show hostility towards one another," Allardyce said. "I think the fans should take the opportunity to be proud of both clubs being in the Premier League, the toughest competition in the world.

"I know the importance of the result and all that goes with bragging rights and such like, but let's try to enjoy it. I really hope that no one makes the wrong sort of headlines, there is just no need for that.

"I watched Burnley at Wigan last week and they played much better than the home side, but they fell to the same old things that we've been saying most of the season away from home. They had plenty of good play, plenty of opportunities, plenty of chances created only to fail to take them and then lose at the death.

"You then come off and say you didn't deserve this or didn't deserve that, but at the end of the day you have to make your own luck.

"It is a local derby and local derbies are always that little bit more intense, that little bit more ferocious and this one is obviously that. We all know from the first game at Ewood a few months ago.

"Local derbies for a manager mean that your tension in your stomach and your feeling when you wake up in the morning is not the best. You are apprehensive and you want to make sure that when your team goes out they do their very best and try to win for the supporters.

"So there's a little bit more nervous tension from a manager's point of view, as well as the players, so it is about controlling that tension and using it in a positive manner.

"Hopefully we can produce a good result away from home rather than just a good performance and there would be no better place to do that than to see us doing that at Turf Moor on Sunday."

Brian Laws is looking for a lift from this game after losing out at Wigan last week to that late, late goal. "If we can win against Blackburn it can do all sorts of things for us in a positive way," he said.

"It could kick start our revival and what better way of doing it, than using that as a springboard. But there isn't a league table this weekend. It's out of the window, it's gone until we finish the game.

"It's not an ordinary game by any stretch of the imagination. This is a one off and we have to deal with it as it is. It is an unbelievable game that everyone wants to be part of and part of that winning side.

"They don't come very often these games, but when they do they are memorable. You can't hide it and I wouldn't want to hide it or disguise it. This is a huge game. They know it and we know it. There are massive consequences for lots of reasons.

"I wouldn't want to dampen it down. I love these kind of occasions. They really are 'roll your sleeves up jobs' and find out what qualities you have within your squad. Everything is at stake and we have got to give everything.

"We want to give something back to the Burnley supporters, so they can go away and have the chance of the bragging rights, because it's a long time since they had that.

"I would love to make a bit of history. Thirty-one years is a long time for our supporters to wait for a win and some of them have never seen it. It's the biggest game of the season for everybody, supporters, everybody.

"Every player wants to be part of this game. One thing I have got to do is calm them down, more than anything else. The tempo of training has been exceptionally high and everyone wants to get their slot in the first eleven.

"We have to have eleven players on the park who are well drilled and well organised with a will to win the game against a very strong side and that's something I will focus on.

"But they all eagerly want to be in this game and if they are showing that kind of enthusiasm I am expecting a fantastic game. It's going to be tense but I can't wait."