DEFENDER Danny Lafferty believes the Clarets have no need to panic just yet.

The Northern Ireland international received the Man of the Match gong as Sean Dyche’s side extended their winless streak to six games with defeat to Huddersfield Town at Turf Moor.

That sequence has seen the Clarets slip from seventh, just four points from the play-off places, to 13th and eight points adrift of the Championship top six. Though that transformation may not be enough to have the Clarets peaking hesitantly over their shoulders just yet, Lafferty is eager to prevent the hole getting any deeper.

Asked if confidence may be an issue, the 23-year-old said: “I don’t see why we would be lacking in confidence because in recent weeks we’ve been playing well, albeit we haven’t been getting the results. It could possibly be one of the reasons but it’s down to ourselves as a team. We’ve got ourselves in to a bit of a hole now and there’s only us who can get us out of it. There’s enough talent in that dressing room to do that if we show that belief.

“We need to pick up some wins because it’s such a tight table and we could find ourselves in an even bigger hole if we don’t turn this around. We need to make the most of these games coming up and dig deep as a team. We want to get ourselves out of this hole that we’re in at the minute.”

The Terriers arrived at Turf Moor with just a solitary victory in 17 league outings, which consequently saw the club loitering precariously above the relegation zone. New boss Mark Robins set his stall for a point, but left with much more than he bargained for as Norwich City loanee James Vaughan punished a shambolic Clarets display in the 55th minute.

“It definitely wasn’t good enough,” declared Lafferty. “Going in to the game we’ve had decent enough performances but not had the right results. We thought Huddersfield were an opposition we could’ve beaten but we just weren’t at it. It was a game we needed to get something out of, but it definitely wasn’t good enough.

“They came similar to Middlesbrough - they had a good shape, compact, hard to break down, hard to play through. Once they got the goal we started to panic a little bit and went more route one and stopped playing. All round it wasn’t a good performance. If teams come here with a shape like that then we’ve got to find a way to break them down and turn losses in to wins.”

Despite the recent run of form Lafferty, who made his Clarets bow in the 0-0 stalemate with Cardiff City almost 12 months ago, is refusing to get dragged down in the pessimism and is instead seeking a solution to arrest the slump, starting tomorrow at the Valley when they face Charlton Athletic.

“Everyone in there is disappointed with themselves and disappointed as a team,” he said. “There’s plenty of games to put things right, they’re coming thick and fast, but we need to bounce back on Saturday against Charlton. It’s a tough venue to go to but we need to get back to winning ways.

“We train well every day and there’s been a lot of energy in the performances but we don’t seem to have got going like the first part of the year. We’re playing well but we seem to be lacking that end product and we’re not putting the ball in the back of the net. We need to start scoring. Our performances have merited something from the games.”

The Derry-born full-back added: “We don’t need luck, we’ve got certain team beliefs and we need to do them right and get back to basics. We’ve got nothing but belief and confidence in ourselves as a squad. I don’t think we’ve got to worry too much yet but we definitely need to address these slack, sloppy one goal losses.

“We won four out of five not long back and now we’ve lost four out of six so it’s quite strange. There’s a mental side to it and as a team we need to figure out how to get back to where we were a number of weeks ago. We’ve got plenty of opportunity to do that.”

Meanwhile Lafferty has relished his opportunities under Dyche, though he acknowledges that his path in to the starting XI may have been aided by injury to Ben Mee. “From a personal point of view I’m really enjoying the run out,” he said. “At the start of the season I wasn’t involved at all so it’s a new experience. The new manager came in and gave me that opportunity, albeit through an injury, but I’m definitely enjoying playing every game. I feel like I’m growing game by game, I feel fitter and stronger but I still feel I’ve got more to give.

“It would have been nice to top my first man of the match award off with a win, so it’s kind of a consolation, but it was nice to pick it up.

• The Burnley Express has launched a FREE football app which is now available to download on {http://bit.ly/LkG6ap|iPhone|Download our football app on iPhone} and {http://bit.ly/IdEJgn|Android|Download our football app on Android} devices.

Two women have been targeted in frightening street robberies in Burnley which police say could be linked.

A 53-year-old woman was set upon by hooded teenagers who tried to steal her bag in the Duke Bar area last Sunday.

A young woman in her early 20s was pushed to the floor in a bag snatch attack in the same area just days before.

Police have described both offences as serious and are appealing for witnesses to come forward with information.

The latest incident saw two males attempt to snatch a bag from the 53-year-old as she was walking with a friend on Rylands Street on Sunday at 5-10pm.

The two women were walking towards Briercliffe Road and had just walked past two men sitting on some wooden railings when they heard footsteps behind them.

One of the men then grabbed at the victim’s handbag that she was carrying in the crease of her right arm. Fortunately, despite several attempts, he was unsuccessful and both men ran off onto St Andrew’s Street.

The man who tried to take the bag is described as being Asian with dark coloured skin, aged 17 to 18 years old, about 5ft 8in. to 5ft 10in. tall and slim build. He was wearing a black hooded top and dark coloured bottoms

The second man is also described as being Asian with dark skin, about 17 to 18 years old, of slim build, wearing a dark coloured hooded top and dark bottoms.

Police are continuing to investigate a similar offence which took place at 5-40pm on Wednesday, February 20th when a 22-year-old woman was walking alone at the same location with her handbag over her left shoulder.

She felt her handbag being pulled from behind and was then pushed on her shoulder and fell to the ground.

Her black leather River Island handbag and contents were stolen by the offender who ran off onto St Andrew’s Street with a second man.

The man who stole the handbag was wearing a black waist-length jacket, a black beanie hat and black tracksuit pants.

The second man was wearing a black jacket and dark coloured trousers which looked to be cuffed at the bottom of the legs.

DC Ian McLean, from Pennine CID, said: “These are serious offences and in the latest incident the offender has grabbed at the victim’s handbag with such force that she was pulled into the road and fell to the ground, breaking her glasses in the process.

“I’d urge anyone with information regarding these offences to contact me at Pennine CID on 01282 472142, 101, or to ring Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”

NELSON travelled to Atherton to face sixth placed Oldham Boro on a Monday evening clash, for their third game in under a week.

With such a congested fixture list - this was their seventh game in February - manager Mark Fell took the opportunity to rotate his squad from Saturday’s 3-2 defeat at Formby.

Max Jones, Danny Johnson, Liam Hutchinson and Ashley Higgins started, while Danny Finch, Ralph Welch, Brandon Barski and Adam Stockdale all made way.

Both sides started tentatively in a cagey opening and Nelson created the first goalscoring opportunity when Nat Taylor lofted a shot over the bar after being put through on goal.

Andrew Naylor then flashed a shot wide from distance and Hutchinson forced a corner as Nelson began to dominate.

Their cause was greatly helped by the fact Naylor and Chris Turner were winning the midfield battle and bossing the centre of the park.

Mazy runs from Tom Murphy and Hutchinson kept the home side on the back foot, but some last ditch tackling prevented Nelson from pressing home their advantage.

Higgins then forced his way into the area and crossed for Tom Anderton, who managed to hit the post from eight yards out when it seemed easier to score.

However, the visitors were not to be denied as defender Iain Robinson headed home from a corner on the left side after 41 minutes and give Nelson a well-deserved half-time lead.

The second-half started in the same fashion as Nelson pinned the home side back, but they were unable to create any clear-cut chances until the 54th minute.

Higgins released Naylor into the area and the advancing forward was promptly flattened by the Oldham goalkeeper Thomas Elford to give Nelson a great opportunity to score from the penalty spot.

Surprisingly, the keeper wasn’t even cautioned for the offence but Higgins made no mistake as he stroked the penalty home to make it 2-0 to the visitors.

Elford then found himself back in action quite quickly as Nelson looked to kill the game off. Turner was fouled in midfield and his resulting free kick brought a fine finger tip save from the Oldham keeper.

In a bid to press home thier advantage, manager Fell took off Higgins and brought on Barski, who nearly scored soon after coming on. He did well to beat the off-side trap but failed to convert the chance despite rounding the keeper.

Lee Botham came on to replace Johnson and his first telling contribution was to concede a free kick in his own half.

From the resulting set piece a goalmouth scramble ensued and James Curley scored to bring Oldham back into the game at 2-1 after 77 minutes.

Both Barski and Hutchinson spurned further opportunities to increase the Nelson lead but it didn’t matter too much as they were able to see the game out.

The win sees the Blues up to 10th in the North West Counties Football League - Division One, with a very workmanlike performance against a side who had just beaten league leaders Darwen

Liam Hutchinson was named man of the match and Nelson now turn their attention to tomorrow’s home fixture against Irlam (kick-off 3 p.m.).

Pendle were beaten by the better side as they entertained second place Thornton Cleveleys at Hodge House.

Phoenix were hoping to maintain recent form, but suffered setbacks early in the week when five players were unable to play due to work and family commitments.

However they were still able to put out a strong squad and were confident of doing the business on the field.

Pendle knew this would be an uphill struggle as the Thornton pack had been strong in the game earlier in the season.

Pendle were ready for the challenge and even though Thornton were dominating in the scrum, the lineout and open play was firmly even.

Phoenix were attacking on the back foot but Rob Lawless and James Redford were able to find small holes in the Thornton defence.

However, on each occasion these were quickly closed and excellent cover defence kept Pendle at bay.

The Thornton attack was starting to penetrate Pendle’s defence and it wasn’t long before the visitors were two tries in front, and at half time they led 12-0.

Pendle came into the second half with more determination and looking to attack at every opportunity.

Andy Dutton put Pendle up the field with excellent tactical kicking but again this came to nothing and

Phoenix soon found themselves under their own posts again with a 19-0 deficit.

Phoenix weren’t going to take this lying down and finally, after some strong runs from Sterling Ross, Jay Ashger and Liam Canning, Pendle found themselves in the Thornton 22.

Redford scored in the corner and, unconverted, the score remained 19-5.

Pendle again found it hard to stop the Thornton pack and it wasn’t long before they were pushing the home team back again, increasing their lead and strangle hold on the game at 24-5.

Pendle never gave up and excellent tackling from Luke McNamee and Craig Wiseman managed to force a turnover which allowed Nick Martin to kick forward for Stu Riley to collect and power his way to the line, only to be held up just short.

However, Redford was on hand to collect the ball and score his second try of the game.

Lawless was unable to add the extras but Pendle reduced the arrears to 24-10.

With the last play of the game Pendle were looking to see the game out but Thornton had other ideas.

They scored a soft try and added the extras as the referee blowed the whistle to end the game at 31-10.

Thornton were a strong outfit and very much deserved the win, but the Pendle team showed character on the day and managed to take a lot of positives from the game.

Pendle were able to award the Sapphire Cleaning Services man of the match to Ashger for his defence and straight, hard running.

Pendle would also like to thank Renco for their continued support and match ball sponsorship.

If you are interested in playing rugby, Pendle are always looking for new players.

You can contact the club by emailing {mailto:info@pendlerugby.co.uk|info@pendlerugby.co.uk} or visit their website at {http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/pendle1/|www.pitchero.com/clubs/pendle1}

You can also ring Ben Peverley on 07977992080.

With both of Colne and Nelson’s senior teams and the senior colts all without a fixture, three of the junior sides took the limelight this weekend.

On a bright Sunday, the Under 13s played Orrell and ran out convincing winners.

Tries from Rowan O’Connor, Keenan Maconville, Toby Bailey, Benji Cocker, Jack Endersby and Tom Steer secured an impressive victory.

The Under 12’s lost to a fantastic Keighley side, who proved that you don’t have to be gigantic to play good rugby.

Colne’s only try came from Josh Cooke following some excellent work from the pack.

The Under 10s also lost, for only the second time this season, as they were edged out 10 tries to nine against Orrell in a fantastically even game.

Zander Maconville, Caleb Maconville and Jake Saggers scored the tries.

The Colne and Nelson junior section was re-established seven years ago and is an essential part of the All Blacks’ future plans. The continuity and dedication through the sections has enabled junior players to go and represent the senior sides, with 10 of the first team and nine of the second team all rising through their ranks.

Colne are hoping to continue this trend by working with the wider community and holding open training sessions. Community rugby coach Callum Kinnane is working in local schools to encourage more participation, while junior chairman Dalu Piliso is also running rag rugby sessions at Pendle Leisure Centre every Saturday at 1 p.m.

If anyone is interested in attending, he can be contacted on 07861 380 046.

The club is always looking for players of any age and ability, and from now until the end of the season there is no joining fee.

If you are interested and fancy giving rugby a go, contact Callum Kinnane on 07910982209 or Ian Cockcroft on 07590818341.

All Colne and Nelson coaches are CRB-checked and RFU-qualified.

I Used to enjoy watching “The X Files” on TV, the at-the-time groundbreaking series which followed the adventures and exploits of two FBI agents, Mulder and Scully, as they investigated a range of bizarre, paranormal and ofter extra-terrestrial phenomenon.

Mulder was the one who approached these things with an open mind, willing to believe they existed, while Scully, a trained doctor, was the cynic, using science and logic to try to disprove what she knew couldn’t possibly be true.

This was pretty much a two-person operation... the FBI tolerated Mulder and allowed him to pursue his whims if it kept him out of their hair. In his ramshackel office tucked away in a basement, Mulder had a large poster on his wall with a grainy black and white photo of a 1950s-style flying saucer and in large black letters the phrase “I want to believe”.

This pretty much summed up Mulder’s character and, in fact, the underlying premise of the whole series. Of course it was bunkum – albeit entertaining bunkum – but to get the most out of watching it you had to believe these things might be possible, or at least, you had to be willing to “suspend disbelief” for the duration of the programme.

I still enjoy a good movie, whether it’s a thriller, an action film, sci-fi, a historical drama, in fact most genres. Work commitments and family life mean it’s rare I get to the cinema, but I like to settle down to a good DVD. Here again, the enjoyment of the thing relies to a large extent on whether you can believe in the characters, the plot, even the sometimes pretty incredible visual images flashed onto your screen. I enjoy the escapism, the fantasy of it all. Just like Mulder, for the period I’m watching the thing, I want to believe.

Which is why I find it difficult to understand this fetish for “DVD extras” – segments added to the disc which, in most cases, seek to deconstruct the elaborate fantasy which the film-makers have gone to such lengths (and expense) to create.

There are “extras” that show in great technical detail how the CGI (computer generated imaging) is created, lengthy interviews with the actors discusssing their roles, the director telling you why he did this or that, and so it goes on. Some discs just have these on the main menu, but some DVD packages have an entire second disc wholly devoted to these extras and special features. Some are even sold as special editions on this basis.

Why? I don’t want to know in minute detail how the dish was cooked. I just want to savour the taste of it. I don’t want to hear from the actor. I just want to believe in the character he portrays. I don’t want to know how the magic trick was done, because once you know, where’s the magic?

Some discs even offer alternate endings, akin to Bullseye host Jim Bowen revealing the star prize speedboat with the words “Here’s what you could have won”.

Of course some people might want the extras, might need to take the thing apart to see how it works, but I never watch them. I want to believe.

Duncan Smith

Police are appealing for help after a spate of stone thefts from streets in Nelson.

Six different back streets in the town have been targeted in the last week alone as thieves seek valuable York Stone.

Stone has been lifted on back streets behind Brunswick Street, Napier Street, Hawarden Street, Edith Street, Maurice Street and Holly Street in the last seven days.

Police believe around 20 square metres has been taken in total, and once cleaned and smartened up, the stone could be worth in the region of £2,000.

In some cases the stone has gone but in others, it has been stacked up in preparation for collection.

Sgt Shaun Pearson said: “Not only is this a major health and safety issue when stones have been removed, but it’s the heritage of the town which is being taken.

“I would appeal to anybody who sees stones removed from streets or anybody disturbing stones to contact police on 101.”

Meanwhile, filling in the gaps the stones leave, which can be up to 3in. deep, is a matter for either Lancashire County Council or Pendle Council’s Area Committees to decide.

Scott Whalley, Pendle Council’s Development and Projects Manager said: “If the stone flags are stolen from adopted roads then Lancashire County Council would be responsible for the maintenance of those streets. They would do a site visit and make sure the area was safe.

“If the stone flags are stolen from unadopted streets then it is the responsibility of whoever owns the land, property, or the home owners.

“Generally people are not in a position to replace the flags and therefore would look to the council to do the work through the Area Committee for their area.

“Pendle Council doesn’t have a budget to replace stolen flags on unadopted streets.”

HAVING beaten Ribby Hall Jets by a point in their last encounter, West Craven Turbines went down by two in a thrilling return in the Hyndburn League.

West Craven were without starting guard Ben Capps therefore forward Jake Dawson took his place on the starting five, with young guns Zak Boardman and Rob Lonsdale on the bench.

As the game tipped off, it did not take long for the points to add up with forward Dan Widdup getting to the line for two free throws and making one of them to open the scoring.

Ribby Hall would come down the other end to make well-taken jump shots through out the first quarter, which ended nip and tuck, with a 16-15 lead for the Turbines.

The second quarter saw the Turbines step up a gear as they produced some excellent offensive play, with Renko Ireton distributing the ball inside to free-scoring Pete Marshall, who executed plenty of power moves inside, going to the hoop.

And defensively the Turbines again stepped up the play to grab a number of rebounds through Marshall, Dawson and Widdup, allowing for the quick outlet to send Pete Robinson on the fast break a number of times.

With Marshall, Widdup and Robinson scoring consistently, the pressure was on Jets as the Turbines took a nine-point coming up to half-time.

However, another three on the buzzer for the Jets saw the score settle at 39-33 to the Turbines.

The third quarter saw Jets come out fighting with a good offensive set up to get players open for a variety of long scores for Marshall.

However, Jets came back into the game and were down by just two points at the end of the third quarter, 47-45.

The fourth quarter was the deciding period as both teams had evenly matched each other to this point.

Jets preferred their offence to work the ball around and make the defence move, eventually finding them open for well-taken perimeter shots.

Turbines’ offence was well worked with some great ball movement, probably their best of the season so far, accompanied with great moves from forward Marshall and Widdup, finding the open jump shots.

An excellent move from Ireton, driving to the hoop to dump the ball off to the baseline cut from Robinson, would force the Jets to call a time out with just two points in the game.

Jets again came back strong and found themselves just one point down with a minute left to play.

Turbines however, failed to take advantage of the offence they had in possession, which led to a Jets break, where a stumbling rebound would see Jets convert and go one point up.

Turbines had one offence however, but they again failed to score, and with 15 seconds they had to stop the game clock by fouling, which saw the Jets shoot two free throws, taking one with just two seconds on the clock.

A time out was called by Turbines to discuss the game plan and move the ball up the court for the inbound, and Widdup and Robinson were to set off the ball screens to release Marshall for an open three, in an attempt to win the game.

But despite his efforts the shot was not converted and Jets came out winners at 64-62.

Scorers: Widdup 23, Marshall 22, Robinson 10, Ireton 6 and Dawson 1.

THE North West Region Masters Distance Championships took place at the Palatine Leisure Centre, Blackpool on Saturday, with three members of the Colne Amateur Swimming Club Masters Team taking part.

Karen Driver, swimming in the 40-44 age group, won the 1,500m and 800m Freestyle events and was second in the 400m Freestyle.

Overall she was ranked second in the 800m and third in the 1,500m using the age adjusted results.

Philip Croxall, also in the 40-44 age group, won the 400m Freestyle and was second in the 400m Individual Medley.

Daniel Dawson, competing in the 35-39 section at his first masters meet, was seventh in the 400m Freestyle.

Meanwhile, at the Huyton Pool in Everton, the nine to 12-year-olds from Colne ASC were taking part in their first Micro League fixture of the season.

It proved to be a difficult contest as Colne finished fourth on 91 points, just behind Blackpool B on 92 points.

The winners of the meet were Everton, who finished with 158 points, with Preston B in second on 139 points.

l IN the first round of the Pendle Masters darts competition, the two qualifiers from the round held at the Colne Legion were Aidy Kelly and Stuart Routledge.

Stuart hit the only 180 at the venue, while Richard Boote checked on 137 in the first game.

Over at the Crown, the qualifiers were Simon Spencer (2x180) and Steph Leatham (180), while earlier Mick Whitaker checked out in 14 darts.

Down at the Carters, Gary Hooper (180) and Gary Gerrard were the winners on the night, with Trevor Nicholas hitting a maximum 180 in defeat against Hooper.

Meanwhile at the Colne Dressers, Tony Clarke and Jack Mansfield were successful on the night, with Glen Ingham hitting 180 earlier in the evening.

The last eight met last night at David Street to contest the Pendle Masters Final.

SNIFFER dogs helped to discover large amounts of illegal tobacco in raids carried out by Lancashire County Council Trading Standards Service in Pendle on Wednesday of last week.

More than 30 packs of contraband cigarettes were seized from two shops during the operation in which 13 retail premises were visited by Trading Standards, the police, Pendle Council Licensing and two sniffer dogs.

The haul included possible counterfeit and non-dutypaid tobacco products which cannot be legally sold in the UK.

The low price and easy availability of illegal tobacco encourages people to keep smoking, and children and young people are often targeted by unscrupulous traders.

The dogs help to find tobacco which traders often conceal in unusual places such as hidden compartments and seemingly empty product boxes.

County Coun. Albert Atkinson, deputy leader of Lancashire County Council, said: “We regularly act on intelligence received from the public, and the success of this week’s operation shows that even the smallest piece of intelligence can make all the difference.

“It also demonstrates more and more people are beginning to understand the serious threat illegal tobacco poses to our communities and, just as tellingly, fewer and fewer people are prepared to tolerate it.

“The highly trained tobacco dogs leave no hiding places for those who trade in illegal tobacco, making them a valuable contribution to the armoury of our Trading Standards Service.”

The dogs, named Levi and Ozzie, were provided by Wagtail UK Ltd and funded by Tobacco Free Lancashire, a collaborative partnership including healthcare professionals formed to help protect children and young people from the harms of tobacco.

Anyone with information about the sale of illegal tobacco should call the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 08454 04 05 06 or the confidential Crimestoppers hotline on 0800 555 111.

A SEASON and a half into his managerial career, Sean Dyche believes the win at Charlton was his best to date.

Taking into account the players unavailable to him - Dean Marney, Chris McCann, Ross Wallace, Michael Duff and Ben Mee - the Clarets deservedly ended a six-game winless run courtesy of Charlie Austin’s 25th goal of the season.

Dyche made five changes from the defeat at home to Huddersfield last Tuesday, handing his first Burnley signing Alex Kacaniclic a debut, and he was delighted with the performance and result at The Valley: “I think that’s the best result I’ve had as a young manager learning my trade.

“I must say not because we’ve been on an awkward run, but we’ve got five very important players who have gone missing for injury reasons, and we had to put a group together quickly.

“Young Alex came in on Friday night and only got to the hotel at 8 pm because of all the paperwork, so to deliver that balanced performance and to show the qualities we did in many different ways was terrific.

“Overall I think the things that go against you when you’re down there, we conquered them.

“I couldn’t believe the amount of soft decisions that went against us. I couldn’t believe the goal for us from Martin Paterson, which was a fantastic move and a great finish, was not given.

“I’ll look at it again but my analyst tells me it was onside.

“The main thing for me was it showed the great work we do with the players because people have come in out of the blue and had to deliver.

“There was a slight change to the shape, but the good habits were there in many different ways.”

It was a big reaction to the Huddersfield loss, but Dyche mused: “Everyone gets excitable about responses.

“The Championship’s a never-ending, unforgiving division. Runs can come and go, up and down, weird results.

“Middlesbrough just ended their run by beating Cardiff. Do you see that coming? Probably not.

“I don’t get too high with the highs and too low with the lows. We won four out of five and I wasn’t jumping through hoops telling everyone we’re the best team in the division.

“We were on an awkward run until Saturday, but I hadn’t been crying over it saying we were the worst team in the division.

“What I am saying is we’re a team that’s improving in many different ways and some of those ways were on show on Saturday.”

Dyche was disappointed not to be more than one goal ahead after an impressive first half display: “In the first half we played really well on a really difficult surface.

“I thought we dealt with the surface, we mixed our game up, we played progressive attacking football.

“In the second half we had to completely changed because of the barrage of long balls that came in the box. It was never ending from start to finish from all areas of the pitch.

“It showed a different quality to us. But I said to the lads at half-time that was the likelihood.

“It shows a different way, and it shows the will and the demand.”

Austin netted his first goal in four weeks, and Dyche was pleased to see him back on the goal trail: “You know what it’s like, you have an awkward run and you all get questioned.

“He’s been questioned and I think he probably answered those questions with a fantastic finish. That’s top-drawer.”

Kacaniclic’s performance was also a big plus: “For his type of style of play that pitch is difficult.

“But he showed a brightness to him but he’ll get used to the group and react to the group.

“He’s a very good player.

“There are so many positives.

“The back four includes two people who have 25 games between them in the Championship. What a great experience that is of being dominant in one half and having the ball smashed down your throat for the second half.

“That’s not having a go at Charlton – you have to find a way of winning; we’ve had to find a way of winning. There are many different ways to win a football match.

“Our group is a mixed group. It’s not loads of men who have been in the Championship for years and years and years – or certainly not today with four or five missing with injuries.”

• The Burnley Express has launched a FREE football app which is now available to download on {http://bit.ly/LkG6ap|iPhone|Download our football app on iPhone} and {http://bit.ly/IdEJgn|Android|Download our football app on Android} devices.

Who can forget the French princess Katherine de Valois who sparred playfully with her future royal husband after his victory at Agincourt in Shakespeare’s Henry V?

The reality was very different. Katherine’s tenure as wife of England’s magnificent warrior king was far from joyful and incredibly short lived. Her final destiny lay not with the English Plantagenets but with an ambitious young man from Wales, and together they would become founders of England’s most famous royal dynasty... the Tudors.

The teenage girl who was married off to a king to seal his claim to rule both England and France gets a mesmerising makeover in Anne O’Brien’s new novel, an epic and yet intimate portrayal of a pivotal female figure in English history.

O’Brien, the masterful mistress of medieval historical fiction, has taken to her heart marginalised women of the Middle Ages and turned their stories and scandals into rich, romantic tales full of intrigue, drama and passion.

In The King’s Concubine, we learned more of Alice Perrers, infamous mistress of Edward III, Virgin Widow introduced us to Anne Neville, wife of the ill-fated Richard III, and here we get to the heart of another of history’s innocent pawns.

Katherine had an inauspicious start. Daughter of King Charles VI of France, noted for his madness, and his wife Queen Isabeau, notorious for her ‘wanton lewdness,’ the young princess was packed off to a convent by her scheming mother to be raised under the rigours of Dominican discipline.

Now she is the jewel in the French crown, locked up and kept pure as a prize for the English King Henry V who is slaughtering her kinsmen on the battlefields of Agincourt. No matter the cost, Isabeau is determined to deliver Katherine into the loveless arms of the iron-willed Henry V.

Henry does take Katherine as his bride, not for her personality or her beauty but as a prize, a spoil of war and as a means to take the glittering French crown itself.

For Katherine, an innocent abroad, England is a lion’s den of greed, avarice and mistrust and her marriage to cold, calculating Henry is a dry and arid place. Only months after their son, the future Henry VI, is born, Henry dies and leaves 21-year-old Katherine a widow and a prize ripe for the taking.

But her enemies are circling and would have her remain a Dowager Queen, forbidden to remarry and eking out a loveless life with prayers and charitable works.

However, there are three men who would have her as their wife; Henry’s ruthless brother Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, the flamboyant Edmund Beaufort from one of the foremost families in the land, and Owen Tudor, master of her household and a young man with an air of ferocious efficiency who says little and achieves much.

All are ambitious, all a force to be reckoned with. Who will have her and who will stop her?

As always, O’Brien’s grasp of the historical period, its politics and its leading players is superb. But The Forbidden Queen is essentially an exquisitely imagined and character driven love story which puts the focus firmly on a fascinating and resourceful woman who dared to challenge her medieval masters by breaking the bounds and marrying where her heart lay.

After her death, Katherine was sidelined by her royal Tudor descendants because of fears over their possible illegitimacy. Happily, O’Brien’s sympathetic and credible portrayal restores both her image as the founder of a dynasty and her breathtaking courage in the face of formidable odds.

(Mira Harlequin, paperback, £7.99)

A HOST of top companies attended an annual jobs fair held at Barnoldswick’s Rainhall Centre.

Jobs varying from care work to web design and education to manufacturing were on offer as companies with employment opportunities included Housing Pendle, RAC North West, Lancashire Police, Hoseasons Group, the Army, Silentnight and Skipton Building Society.

Rainhall Centre Manager, Ann Whitaker, said: “The amount of jobs on offer this year was really very good and the diversity of them was fabulous.

“We had a good number of companies at the event even if footfall on the day was a little lower than last year.”

AS the age when young people remain in education or training raises to 18 it is more important than ever to explore options from year 11.

Remaining in education or training includes not only the option of staying on at school but going to college or taking employment with training.

Whether your choice is A Levels, an Apprenticeship or a Vocational course, Craven College has a wide range of options to choose from leading to Degrees, real jobs and enhanced careers.

A Levels – 100% pass rate in 25 subjects

Craven College is one of the region’s largest A Level providers offering more than 30 subjects – take a look at the full range and find out more online at www.craven-college.ac.uk .

These qualifications are delivered by highly qualified, experienced, academic and industry specialist lecturers. In 2012 our A Level students achieved an overall pass rate of 98% with a 100% pass rate in 25 subjects including Biology, Chemistry, English Language & Literature, Graphic Design, ICT, Languages, Psychology and Sociology.

The Craven Centre for A Levels provides outstanding academic teaching, including preparation for exams and UCAS personal statements. The consistently high pass rates ensure progression on to specialist Degrees here at Craven College, the university of choice or to employment.

Apprenticeships – 9th out of 225 FE Colleges

Our Apprenticeships perform well above national averages. Recent data shows that our overall success rates are 88% compared to the National Average of 73.7% and we now rank 9th out of 225 FE Colleges in the country. Apprenticeships overall are increasingly popular and more people and employers recognise the benefits they bring, particularly at advanced and Higher levels.

Apprenticeships are available in a wide range of sectors giving young people the opportunity to earn while they learn and leading to nationally accredited qualifications recognised and appreciated by employers and universities. The College will liaise with employers and support potential Apprentices in finding suitable employment. Visit www.craven-college.ac.uk to see our Apprenticeships vacancies service.

Vocational Courses – progress on to employment or Degree level study

Full-time Vocational courses are based on particular employment or industry sectors. In addition to taught classes, lectures and seminars, you will have practical hands on experience of your chosen area, using our industry standard equipment, training facilities and workshops. Vocational study will give you valuable insight in to the skills and knowledge required for the workplace taking you on to employment or Degree level study.

Craven College places strong emphasis on providing students with a wide range of entry points, excellent progression routes and varied learning opportunities. The College offers an exceptional range of occupational enrichment, placements and additional qualifications that enhance CVs and career prospects.

There is a generous travel bursary in place – our full-time students only pay the first £1 per day of their main journey to Craven College. Direct public transport to Skipton is available by bus and train.

Applications are being taken and interviews taking place for courses starting in September 2013. For more information about courses, the travel bursary and events visit {http://www.craven-college.ac.uk|www.craven-college.ac.uk} or call 01756 791 411.

BURNLEY’S home game v Cardiff City has been moved forward in the day for live screening on Sky Television.

The Turf Moor clash, originally scheduled for 3pm on Saturday, 20th April, will now kick off at 12.45pm the same day.

• The Burnley Express has launched a FREE football app which is now available to download on {http://bit.ly/LkG6ap|iPhone|Download our football app on iPhone} and {http://bit.ly/IdEJgn|Android|Download our football app on Android} devices.

Visions Learning Trust, Burnley’s £10.3m University Technical College (UTC) opened its doors to visitors for the first time on Saturday.

Opening in August, building work at Visions Learning Trust is still underway, but visitors got the chance to take a sneak peek inside a section of the UTC which is now taking shape.

Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) modelled a single seat racing car which was built, tested and raced by LJMU engineering students at Silverstone last year, and science and technology software experts, LJ Create, demonstrated learning kits and robotics technology to visitors.

The University of Central Lancashire (UClan) and many other local employers such as Barnfield Construction, Chubb Systems, Graham Engineering and Fort Vale Engineering were also at the event to showcase the employer led training on offer to learners.

Visions Learning Trust will provide education for 14-to-19-year-olds in a new format that puts employers at its core.

Principal Martin Callagher said: “This is a vital time for young people in the area, especially those who are currently choosing the next steps in their education.

“Visions Learning Trust will provide a fantastic opportunity for young people to access outstanding education that is linked directly to developing the skills and knowledge that local employers want and need.”

Combining traditional education programmes with employer-led technical training, Visions Learning Trust will focus on developing the high skills levels required by employers in the engineering, advanced manufacturing and construction industries.

Development and conversion of the historic Victoria Mill in Burnley is being undertaken by Nelson-based Barnfield Construction in a joint venture with Burnley Borough Council.

For more information visit www.visionslearningtrust.co.uk or call 0800 001 4995 or 01254 54659, or email utc@visionslearningtrust.co.uk.

a LEADING Nelson baker will be bidding to win the county finals of the British Sandwich Designer of the Year in Ashton-under-Lyne this morning.

Laura Oddie, from W.H. Oddies Bakery in Nelson, has entered two sandwiches in the Universal Meats chicken category and one in the Warburtons gluten free category.

A total of 17 competitors are set to compete in the regional final.

Each competitor will be asked to make their sandwich creation in front of a panel of judges drawn from the industry. The sandwiches in each category must be made using a specified sponsor’s product.

It is a requirement of the competition that each of the recipes must use one of the sponsors’ ingredients and thus show their ability to be creative within defined limits. The winner of each category will then go through to compete at the national final in London in May.

St Mary’s College, in Blackburn, is opening its doors again for all Year 10 and Year 11 pupils to attend its next information evening on Thursday, March 21st, from 5-30pm to 7-30pm.

There’s an opportunity to meet staff and students and take a look around the campus.

ONE of the major roundabouts and routes into Burnley could be transformed to create a so-called “Burnley Growth Corridor”.

The plan from Lancashire County Council is to install traffic lights at the Gannow Top roundabout off Junction 10 of the M65, as well as create improvements in walking and cycling routes from the new Burnley Bridge Business Park at Hapton.

Rosegrove Railway Station and the Leeds Liverpool Canal are also seen as central to the transport plan as the county council looks to maximise potential benefits from the Todmorden Curve rail link and Weavers’ Triangle redevelopment.

A bid to the Department for Transport has gone in for a share of the Government’s £170m. Local Pinch Point Fund, set up to reduce bottlenecks on the local highway network.

The total cost is expected to be £1.6m. which includes £478,000 from the county council.

Coun. Tim Ashton, Cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “One of our top priorities is to create the right conditions for economic growth, and key to encouraging businesses to invest is to demonstrate they’ll be able to travel quickly and efficiently in Lancashire as the number of vehicles on our roads continues to grow.

“The investment already being made in the area identified as the Burnley Growth Corridor will result in more traffic, and our bid makes the case for a scheme which will allow this to take place while avoiding levels of congestion which could limit further growth.

“Traffic signals at the two roundabouts at junction 10 of the M65 would allow more traffic to flow more efficiently, and the plans to improve Rosegrove Railway Station and cycling and walking routes which link to it would encourage people to reach the area by public transport and ease pressure on the road network.”

A separate bid will also be made to make improvements to the Centenary Way viaduct to correct defects identified as far back as 1995. The cost for this is expected to be £3.15m.

County Coun. Ashton added: “Centenary Way Viaduct is an integral part of the growth corridor and the separate bid for funds to carry out maintenance would help us to improve its strength to carry very heavy loads, as structural problems mean it hasn’t been able to take abnormally heavy loads since 2004.”

TRADING Standards and police are warning that power tools being sold door-to-door could be dangerous fakes.

Several reports have been receivedof people trying to sell the tools on the doorstep throughout East Lancashire.

Inspector John Fryer, of Lancashire Constabulary, said: “These saws came to the attention of police officers after it was reported they were being sold to rural properties door-to-door. We are unsure as to the quality of these products and would urge anyone who purchased one of these saws to have it checked as to its safety.”

County Councillor Albert Atkinson, deputy leader of Lancashire County Council with responsibility for Trading Standards, said: “We’re very concerned at these products being sold as we do not know anything about their safety and whether or not they are genuine.

“We haven’t had any mishaps reported yet but we are trying to prevent potentially dangerous situations occurring as a result of problems with the tools’ safety and reliability.

“We would urge people to look out for anyone in a van offering these kinds of products. These sellers can be quite persuasive, insistent and pushy but don’t be pressurized into buying something you’re not sure of.

“Legitimate power tools will usually have a moulded plug, not a household plug or foreign plug, and will come with a safety manual. Paying cash on the doorstep means you won’t be able to get your money back or track down the seller if there’s a problem and we would urge against it.”