DEFENDER Michael Duff has more experience of the East Lancashire derby than anyone in the Burnley squad.

Sunday is likely to be his fifth taste of t’el clasico, and he has yet to finish on the winning side.

That goes without saying when the Clarets have gone 34 years since beating the old enemy in a competitive game.

Duff - in his ninth season with the club - has experienced much in his time at Turf Moor, winning promotion at Wembley to the Premier League, wins over Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs, Manchester United.

But he is desperate to end the long wait for derby success: “The atmosphere will be brilliant and hopefully we can get the result we want.

“The players recognise how big Sunday is, we don’t need to be told, we had the first game and probably should have won, but did well to get a point in the end.

“It’ll be nice to go to their place and turn them over.

“It’s probably not a bad game to go into, it’s a derby, up and at ‘em, but we need to realise we can play a bit as well.

“It’s not a normal game, it’s one to look forward to.

“And it’s a great game to go into now. Form goes out of the window in derbies.”

“Everyone’s pulling in the right direction at the minute anyway, but the players know what it means, the supporters obviously know what it means and it’s a game that everyone will be looking forward to.”

Both sides go into the game struggling for form, and Duff - who returned on Monday night after a calf problem - is scratching his head as to why Burnley have gone off the boil: “We were disappointed with how the game went on Monday.

“There’s a strange feeling around the place, I thought we started the Hull game quite well for the first 20-25 minutes, without really penetrating, but I felt we controlled the game.

“I don’t know whether we got a little anxious, as the crowd did really, so it’s a bit of a tough one, but we’re a relatively young squad and it’s a learning process.

“Two years ago we were winning every game at home, but look at the age of that squad and the age of this squad and that might tell you something.

“The whole thing’s flipped round now where we’re struggling a bit at home and the age of the squad’s come down quite a bit as well.

“Three years ago we were in the Premier League and I don’t know if the supporters get carried away or not.

“Expectation isn’t a bad thing, it means people don’t think you’re a bad team, if people thought we were useless there wouldn’t be any expectancy.

“It’s about getting that balance, we’re a relatively small club in this league but that’s not something to hide behind.

“We know we haven’t played well enough, that’s the crux of it.”

But Duff is confident things will pick up: “Everyone’s working towards one goal, and it’s hard at the minute, there’s no getting away from it,” said the 35-year-old.

“People get carried away, we won four out of five and we are going to get promotion, then you don’t win for five or six games and it’s all doom and gloom.

“That’s why we love football, the emotions are so high and so low.

“All we can do is work hard and work ourselves back in credit.”

• 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.

The future of a West Craven church will be debated at a meeting next week.

Kelbrook’s Parochial Church Council will meet on Monday night to discuss the future of St Mary’s Church after three leading roles became vacant.

All possibilities will be on the table at the meeting.

And that will include closure of the church, after the church’s warden and secretary stood down recently due to other commitments and St Mary’s reader emigrated in December.

The departure of people from the three key roles, coupled with a low weekly congregation number of between 12 and 15 people, has left the church in a difficult position, according to priest in charge the Rev. Hugh Fielden.

Mr Fielden, who’s ministry also includes All Saints’ Church, Earby, is positive St Mary’s, in the heart of Kelbrook, will not have to close but admitted something has to be done to secure its long-term viability.

Mr Fielden took the opportunity to quash any rumour of this being a Bradford Diocese decision to close the church on financial grounds.

He said: “The Kelbrook PCC has an extraordinary meeting next week to consider the future of St Mary’s Church.

“We are struggling because two long-standing officers of the PCC have to step down for work and family reasons and we don’t have anyone to take their places in the leadership team.

“The PCC has already approached members of the congregation to ask for prayers and more support in running the church.

“We are meeting to discuss the way forward in the hope we can find ways to encourage more people to get involved.

“We will be inviting everyone in the parish to an open meeting after Easter to share our concerns and hopes, and to look for practical offers of support.

“We are here to help local people find God and depend entirely on local people to continue this crucial part of community life.”

The Diocese of Bradford has offered words of support for the parish, saying it too is hopeful on the future of St Mary’s, which was built in 1839 and can hold up to 120 worshippers.

The Archdeacon of Craven, the Ven. Paul Slater, said: “While it’s too early to say what the future will be for St Mary’s, I’m optimistic as we have been in this position before and been able to find officers. I’ll be meeting with the PCC members shortly with the aim of finding a way forward.”

NELSON scored five goals in their two away games over the week, but could only take a point for their efforts.

On Saturday, the Blues went down 3-2 on their first-ever visit to West Didsbury, before claiming a 3-3 draw at Atherton LR on Tuesday night.

At West Didsbury, Mark Fell made three changes after the defeat against Formby.

In came Danny Johnson, Matt Fearon and youth teamer Jake Lloyd for injured skipper Chris Turner, Andrew Naylor and Ashley Higgins.

Both sides made a tentative start, but after a corner for the hosts wasn’t properly cleared, a goalmouth scrambled ensued and David Kilbride prodded the ball past Ben Woodhead.

The lead lasted only two minutes as Fearon crossed from the right, and Nat Taylor (pictured) ghosted in at the far post to equalise.

Play became condensed into the midfield, with Gareth Thomas pulling the strings for the hosts, and Brandon Barski causing West Didsbury problems.

Several close off-side decisions went against Nelson, before Taylor cut inside and got his shot away, but it was too far out to test keeper Ben Simpson.

Barski then forced Simpson to tip his dipping shot over, with the Blues competing well in all areas of the pitch.

After the break, Taylor set up Barski, but his snap shot on the turn was just wide.

Lee Malkin then broke clear for the hosts, forcing Woodhead to save at the expense of a corner, and good defending from Tom Murphy and Max Jones kept West Didsbury at bay.

A long kick from Woodhead found Fearon, and his cross picked out Tom Anderton, but his shot lacked power.

In Nelson’s next attack, Barski found Anderton in space, and his well-struck shot was saved by the diving Simpson.

As shots rained in on the Nelson goal, captain Danny Finch was felled by a blow to the head, but recovered, and the Blues’ first change was Sean Malkin for Fearon.

His first contribution was to play Barski through, but his shot sailed over.

West Didsbury broke away against the run of play, and Lee Malkin drove a cross home with four minutes to play.

Within a minute a long free kick was headed on to Barski, who swivelled to beat Simpson.

But the hosts went straight down the other end and substitute Thomas Walsh snatched the winner.

Right at the death Murphy found man of the match Barski in space, but he ballooned the ball over, and the Blues could consider themselves unlucky to lose.

On Tuesday at Crilly Park, Higgins and Turner returned for Lloyd and Danny Johnson, now departed for Australia.

And the Blues took a fifth-minute lead when a corner was clipped home by Murphy.

Barski shot wide, before Turner saw a free kick blocked, and then sent the rebound wide.

Turner was then penalised for a high foot, and the free kick was fisted clear by Woodhead, only to be driven back into the area, hitting an outstretched hand. Luke Gibson levelled from the spot.

Turner made amends within two minutes when he spun his man and found the bottom corner.

Taylor was then fouled out on the right, and from the free kick, Murphy again converted from close range to make it 3-1.

Nelson were indebted to a fine double save from Woodhead, preserving their two-goal lead before the break.

In the second half, Taylor sent a shot wide from a narrow angle, and Barski sliced wel wide with only the keeper to beat.

Higgins then shot straight at Cheetham, before Turner was forced off after a late tackle, which saw Craig Boothry booked, and the home manager also sent off.

Hesitation between Woodhead and Finch allowed Atherton to pull one back 10 minutes from time through Adam Storey, and at the death, a deep free kick was launched into the area and hooked in at the far post by Gibson to deny the Blues the win.

Nelson are at Leek CSOB tomorrow before hosting Rochdale Town on Wednesday night, kick-off 7-45 p.m.

a MAJOR policing operation has been launched ahead of Burnley’s much-anticipated derby clash against arch rivals Blackburn Rovers on Sunday.

The Clarets take on Rovers away at Ewood Park at 12-30pm in the Championship. The 4,000 Burnley fans expected to make the short trip will again have to travel by special bus and are asked to arrive at Turf Moor at 9-45am.

Police are advising people who live in the area that traffic will be busy in and around Turf Moor as the Burnley supporters will travel on coaches from Turf Moor to Ewood Park.

Officers are also urging fans to follow basic crime prevention advice and park their cars in lit areas, keep them locked and do not leave valuables on show.

Supt Jon Puttock said: “As with previous matches, we have worked extremely closely with Burnley and Blackburn Rovers Football Clubs as well as the supporters clubs, when planning the policing operation for the games.

“Where possible, our plans will replicate those that were put in place for the game at Turf Moor back in December.

“The aim of our operation is to ensure public safety and get people to and from the ground safely. Extra officers will be on hand to assist supporters as well as stewards from both clubs.

“Very few people attending football matches actually cause problems at the games. I want to reassure people we will not be letting a minority spoil what should be an occasion for all the family to enjoy.

“We will have the resources to deal with any incidents of disorder and people should be warned that as well as being dealt with on the day we will also look to secure banning orders on offenders.

“There will be a number of road closures in place to enable us to transport the visiting supporters into Blackburn and I would advise the Rovers fans that traffic will be busy on the day so they may be best allowing extra time for travelling to the game.”

Burnley currently sit in 11th place in the Championship, just three points above rivals Rovers who have a game in hand.

HAVING lost at home to Hull on Monday, Sean Dyche’s Burnley side will look to bounce back against Lancashire rivals Blackburn.

Although the Clarets haven’t won against Blackburn in their last seven attempts, a win on Sunday will stretch their lead over Rovers to six points. Burnley are available at 11/5 with Ladbrokes for the away win with the draw best priced at 29/12 with Pinnacle. Blackburn, who have won just one of their last nine, are best priced at 17/12 for the home win with Pinnacle.

Leading odds comparison site oddschecker.com can reveal that Blackburn have scored just two goals in their last seven games. Both of these were against Peterborough, a game they eventually lost, and punters may look to back Burnley to win with a clean sheet which is available at 5/1 with Boylesports.

With goals seemingly a problem for both sides, -2.5 goals may appeal to some, an option available at 4/5 with Sky Bet. Earlier in the season when the two met at Turf Moor, the score was 1-1. A repeat of this score line is best priced at 13/2 with Bet Victor.

Having scored two in his last three, Clarets top scorer this season, Charlie Austin, is available at 5/1 to open the scoring with Betfred. The bookie also offering double delight and hat-trick heaven whereby if the first goal scorer goes on to score again at any time or score a hat-trick, they will double or treble the first goal scorers odds. If punters fancy Sam Vokes to score against Blackburn again, he is available at 9/1 with the same bookie.

As the race hots up the be the highest place North West club, both Burnley and Rovers are available at 7/1 with Bet Victor, behind favourites Bolton who are best priced at 2/7. Both teams however, are best priced at 8/7 to finish in the top 12 come the end of the season, with Betfair.

WHEN I first saw this title, I thought to myself “oh please don’t let it be another Angry Birds clone” as looking at it those were immediately my first impressions.

So I installed it on my PlayStation Vita and fired it up, and boy was I wrong, not only was I wrong but I was hooked!

I am talking about a little gem strangely called Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken developed by Ratloop Asia which takes on a side scrolling shooter similar to games such as Mark of the Ninja, Deadlight and the fabulous Shadow Complex.

You play as Hardboiled Chicken, he’s a badass soldier set out on a mission to destroy the evil penguin leader and his troops in the region of Albatropolis using your unique abilities with a vast arsenal of weaponry.

Hardboiled Chicken is also haunted by his rough past which drives him onward, which is illustrated with fantastically created cinematic sequences and great voice acting. I enjoyed the story which is told more visually than having a hefty dialogue to listen too (or read) and it has a dark humour to it that maintained its entertainment throughout. Hardboiled Chicken kept me playing to see what happens next which went hand in hand with the fantastic gameplay.

It’s a side scrolling shoot me up and adventure game with a little bit of puzzler in there too and it plays like a charm. Hardboiled Chicken can use guns and grenades that he finds, and what is worth noting that I loved was the little clips of Hardboiled Chicken picking up weapons that he finds with a little rocking soundtrack.

As expected L is aim and R is fire, grenades have to be aimed using a trajectory before throwing and there is a jump button. At certain intervals, the gameplay changes to a jetpack section where players control Hardboiled Chicken with a jetpack strapped to him, holding X uses the thrusters and the left analog stick directs him.

These sections I felt were tacked on but a nice change of pace however enemies were difficult to hit and they seemed endless but it was soon over thankfully. Hardboiled Chicken also has use of mind controlling grenades which when detonated near an enemy, enables the player to control that soldier to assist in puzzles or taking out certain enemies blocking the path.

A small feature which impressed me about this was the inclusion of a suicide action; players can perform this when they have finished using that enemy soldier. When used, the enemy puts his gun to his own head and blows his brains out before returning control to Hardboiled Chicken, very cool! Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken doesn’t really use the Vitas unique features apart from the gyroscope which is only used to move the background around which gave Rocketbirds’ environments a bit of believable depth but it didn’t do anything to enhance the already good gameplay.

I was impressed with Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken`s visuals; it mixed 2D characters with 3D backgrounds nicely, plenty of blood and gore to keep the morbid satisfied and a hell of a lot of character.

The protagonist is tough looking which makes him a joy to play and the penguin leader is as sinister looking as bad guys usually are all of which look amazingly sharp on the PS Vitas screen. The jetpack parts were the least visually pleasing but these sections are far and few between and it’s easily forgiven thanks to the rest of what the game has to offer.

Summary

Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken sports an impressive 15 chapters full of action and not too difficult puzzles minus the mediocre jetpack sections. Rock band New World Revolution provides a fitting soundtrack which sets the tone perfectly with their indie rock gritty sound. Mean bad guys and meaner good guys, Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken has it all and is one of my favourite 2D scrolling shooters now, the best i have played in a long time.

Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken

Developer: Ratloop Asia

Publisher: Ratloop Asia

PSN

Playstation Vita

Genre: Side Scrolling Puzzle

Release Date:13th February 2013

Story – 4.5

Graphics – 4/5

Gameplay – 5/5

Overall – 4.5/5

{http://www.theleet.co.uk|www.theleet.co.uk|www.theleet.co.uk}

The All Blacks narrowly went down to defeat in south Manchester at Old Bedians on Saturday.

With the hosting side hot on the heels of Colne and Nelson in the league, both teams had everything to play for.

Bedians opted to kick and applied some good plays of rugby against the Colne defence, who seemed to have a bit of a shaky start, but good defending kept the home side away from the try line.

Colne fell behind to a penalty kick just a few minutes later, however, and this seemed to set the precedent for the game as the home side found it hard to break through the All Blacks’ defence.

Colne shot themselves in the foot with yet more penalties, and the Bedians kicker was on form.

The Colne pack were dominant in the scrum and managed to get a penalty just five yards out, which was opted to scrum again, with the locals driving over line only to penalised by the referee.

Colne did hit back and close the gap with a Jordan Sunderland try following some excellent forward work.

The home side’s pick and driving was in good form and gained ground at every opportunity, but the Colne defence was strong all game.

Bedians managed to keep the score ticking over with their penalty kicks, leaving Colne constantly playing catch up.

Colne added pressure and gained ground upfield, using the forwards to pressurise the home defence, and the All Blacks had the opportunity to punch holes in the defence but mistakes at crucial times sent them backwards .

As always, the All Blacks never gave up as they narrowed the gap to just a few points with a couple of penalty kicks slotted over by Callum Kinnane.

Colne were having a good portion of the possession, but Bedians were not letting go easily and put in some excellent work defensively and managed to hold Colne off.

With the clock ticking down, Bedians manage to slot over another penalty to leave Colne needing a converted try to tie the game. Colne pushed hard but the try never came and the game finished 18-11.

Colne have a rest this weekend but are back in action the week after at Holt House against Newton Le Willows.

Colne are really progressing with a young side and have a well-established second team as well as a senior colts side.

Anybody wishing to play rugby can contact the club on 07590818341.

there was a lot of fuss a few weeks ago over the Home Office’s announcement that a new version of the UK citizenship test was to be introduced.

Applicants will in future have to show they had an understanding of key moments in British history, it was reported.

But why should anyone wanting to come to live here have to demonstrate they know about our rich and colourful past when so many people who are native Britons and have lived here all their lives clearly do not know much about it themselves?

If you doubt Mr Pendle on that one, just watch any quiz programme on television and those desperate for their 15 minutes in the spotlight will answer almost every question put to them about over-hyped film and television celebrities correctly and then smile at the camera before annoyingly applauding themselves for the depth of their “knowledge”.

But ask them to name the fate of Henry VIII’s six wives, the date of a famous battle or some other basic historical fact from the past which they were – or ought to have been, as Mr Pendle was – taught at school and their cocky smiles quickly vanish as the true ignorance of their homeland’s past is displayed to a watching nation as they come up with a stupid answer.

Testing would-be residents of this country on their understanding of its history may have its place in a citizenship test – but equally important should be their understanding of the English language, an ability to speak it reasonably well and a job to go to.

mr Pendle was forced to smile when he heard the comments of the leading lights in the Eastleigh by-election last Thursday night.

For he could have substituted candidates from elections down the years in the shoes of the latest batch and the sentiments would echo back in time.

The political parties involved are irrelevant.

It is the words that are always the same – and confirm that politicians live in a world all of their own, seemingly oblivious that what they are saying is waffle dressed up for the media.

For the winners, the result is “stunning”, even when all the polls have suggested victory was theirs.

For the losers, if they happen to be the party in government, defeat is shrugged off as a protest vote, even when the opinion polls show them to be lagging behind.

And fringe parties who do well forever tell us their performance is not a freak result, only for reality to prove otherwise next time around.

It could be argued they would not be expected to say anything else in the circumstances – but surely even they can see the ordinary man in the street can see through their platitudes for what they are.

THERE was a big turnout of Barlick Fell Runners for the recent Stan Bradshaw Fell Race around Pendle Hill.

A total of 18 took to the start line, with 17 finishing in this, the second club championship race of the season.

The race was won by Rob Hope of Pudsey and Bramley.

The first Barlicker was Nick Treitl in 11th place, second Barlicker was Mark Sandamas in 14th, and Stephen Chew was next in 16th place, taking second team behind Wharfedale Harriers.

The Barlick results were: 11, Nick Treitl 1:13:41; 14, Mark Sandamas 1:16:46; 16, Stephen Chew 1:17:01; 34, Sam Wadsworth 1:22:40; 58, Andrew Carson 1:26:57; 60, Dan Taylor 1:28:34; 66, Andy Hirst 1:30:07; 76, John Boothman 1:31:29; 86, Michael Thistlethwaite 1:32:37; 91, Des Walkden 1:33:22; 97, Pete Jackson 1:34:50; 114, Dave Halliday 1:36:39; 115, Glenn Whittaker 1:36:49; 139, Craig Childs 1:41:47; 162, Richard Treitl 1:48:51; 172, Rachael Lowther 1:51:22; 176, Robert Frederick Jackson 1:59:31.

Elsewhere, Micheal Alexander completed the Keighley Big 10k, and Michael Plummer, the ultra specialist, did the Howarth Hobble in six hours 47 minutes. This is a 32-mile race over multi terrain.

For more detail’s on Barlick Fell Runners, go to {http://www.barlickfellrunners.org.uk|www.barlickfellrunners.org.uk}

• A GROUP of Yorkshire cricket supporters and two county campaign groups are funding coaching by Pro-Coach Yorkshire at Headingley for West Craven Technical High School.

An independent Yorkshire cricket supporters’ message board ‘The Corridor of Uncertainty’, the Yorkshire Ridings Society and the Saddleworth White Rose Society - along with private donations - have already funded six hours of coaching at the school before Christmas by Mark Gilliver of Pro-Coach Yorkshire.

Mark’s sessions were a great success and now more coaching is scheduled to take place at Headingley.

The school will travel to Leeds today to be coached at the Yorkshire Indoor Cricket Centre, where they will use bowling machines and video analysis.

They will then play matches against other schools, followed by a tour of the ground and museum. The aim is to further encourage and develop cricket in Yorkshire border areas and show the youngsters and the general public there that, though they are in the Lancashire cricket system, they are also still part of the Yorkshire cricket family.

An unexpected bonus for the day is that Alec Stewart, the former England captain and Surrey player, will be at Headingley on the same day and will join in with the coaching!

A COLNE building that has been derelict for approximately 40 years has been transformed into a sophisticated cafe and wine bar.

The Green Chimney, in Albert Road, opened its doors to the public for the first time over the weekend.

Over the past two years, twin brothers George and Henry Hooks (26) have been working tirelessly with their family to renovate the site — which is previously thought to have been a shoe shop.

As well as offering local delicacies including fine food and drink, the venue will also play host to live music acts in its basement. It is also hoped that a frequent open mic night will be organised soon.

Henry, who currently lives in Albert Road, said: “The opening was good — people seemed to like it.

“We enjoy the Northern Quarter in Manchester, and wanted to inject that feel into Colne.

“There is nothing like it here.”

Among the guests at the launch event were Pendle MP Andrew Stephenson, Coun. Joe Cooney, Coun. Tommy Cooney, and Coun. Paul White.

Talking on Twitter following his visit, Mr Stephenson said: “Enjoyed the opening of @TheGreenChimney — a new coffee shop/wine bar on Albert Road in #Colne. Great to see another new business open”.

And Coun. Tommy Cooney added: “Enjoyed a visit to @TheGreenChimney this afternoon with @CllrJoeCooney @CllrPaulWhite @Andrew4Pendle #Pendle.”

A MARATHON man is back in Burnley to run the race of his life.

Lee Cunliffe (39) has clocked up hundreds of competitive miles and is gearing up for both the London and Paris marathons next month.

But the former RAF dog handler says it will be a special day when he gets the chance to run in his home town for the Pennine Lancashire 10K this summer.

The father-of-four is running to raise money for the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund which has helped him through enormous personal tragedy.

He said the charity was there for him after his daughter was stillborn in 2001 and his wife died battling cancer in 2006. The fund even helped him find a house for his family in Burnley when he left the RAF in 2007.

Now Lee is ready to give something back to the charity by running the Jane Tomlinson race in Burnley on June 2nd.

He said: “This will be the most amount of running I have ever done. I am running two marathons next month in London and Paris and then it is the Pennine 10K.

“I am also doing the Great North Run and the Yorkshire marathon.”

But he is looking forward to tackling the 10k run around Burnley which takes in some of the town’s best-loved landmarks including Towneley Hall, Turf Moor and Rowley Lake.

He said: “When I saw it was a local run I wanted to do it. It is in Burnley so it will be extra special to get to run in my home town.

“It is a 10k run which is a nice run. It brings the whole thing together.

“Every day I do lots of training runs around the area pounding the pavements unnoticed so it will be great to take part in a big event.”

Lee has set himself a fund-raising target of £1,000 for the RAF Benevolent Fund.

He said: “The RAF benevolent fund has been incredibly supportive of me over the years. I will do anything I can to help them.

“I lost my baby daughter in 2001 – she was stillborn. They helped me pay the funeral costs.

“My late wife died of cancer in 2006 and they helped me with the funeral costs.

“Without them I don’t think I would be where I am today.”

You can help Lee smash his fund-raising target by visiting www.justgiving.com/RAFbenfund

BURNLEY’S banking revolutionary David Fishwick has been overwhelmed with the response to his new TV show.

The self-made millionaire’s latest programme “Bank of Dave: Fighting the Fat Cats” pulled in millions of viewers when it hit Channel 4 TV screens.

The one-hour special, which saw the minibus salesman battling for approval from the Financial Services Authority for his pioneering “bank” , proved a hit with Internet viewers on Channel 4 On Demand, Channel 4seven and was beamed to millions more across the world through CNBC and Al Jazeera.

Mr Fishwick has seen his not-for-profit community banking model go global after opening Burnley Savings and Loans which offers low-cost loans to local businesses rejected by mainstream banks. His book “Bank of Dave: How I Took On The Banks” shot to the top spot on Amazon for a time and his efforts have even been hailed by leading politicians in Parliament working on a new banking reform bill.

Mr Fishwick said: “The response to Bank of Dave was amazing. Millions watched it across the country on all the different Channel 4 channels. It went on CNBC and around the world. We got reviewed on the show Gogglebox and we got a really good response from people all over the country. They were saying what they think. It was very positive. One said ‘he is a national hero’.

He added: “It has been so positive for Burnley. Burnley has been seen by millions of people all over the world.

“I hope I can bring as much TV as possible to Burnley. My heart lies in Burnley with Burnley Savings and Loans. I deeply care about the little ‘bank’.”

The first series of “Bank of Dave” has now been nominated for a top award at the prestigious Royal Television Society awards.

Mr Fishwick will join stars including Simon Cowell, Ant and Dec and Sean Bean at the glitzy award ceremony on Tuesday.

He said: “You have got to pinch yourself. I think ‘what am I doing there? I am a lad from Burnley who sells minibuses. It is very humbling to be put forward for something like that.”

A HIGHLY-RESPECTED and very capable sports organiser has died in hospital after being taken ill around Christmas, leaving her family and many sports club members in great sadness.

Mrs Janet Shaw, of Dunderdale Avenue, Nelson, had been involved in different sporting activities over the decades.

She mainly lived in Nelson all her life. She went to Bentley Street School, Nelson – now Marsden Community Primary – but then attended Colne Grammar School.

Mrs Shaw started her working life as a comptometer operator – calculating such things as wages – at Burnley-based firm Prestige, but then went on to work at Townhouse School, Nelson. Later, she was a pharmacy assistant at Boots Chemists, Nelson. And, after retiring there, she worked at Blacko School for three years, where her grandchildren were pupils.

Sports were a key part of her life. She played hockey as a girl, and husband Malcolm said: “She was a keen hockey player, but she later played squash, was involved in yoga, and taught people to keep fit at Linden Road, Colne. She played squash at the Thompson Centre, Burnley. She’s always been a very keen supporter of Burnley Football Club – a season ticket holder and a shareholder.

“She’s always been a sports personality and became involved in crown green bowling because this is what I’ve always been in.”

She was a treasurer of Pendle and District Bowling League and Nelson’s Thomas Street Bowling Club. She was also a county team manager for county juniors at bowling and an active member of teams.

Mr Shaw, who was an engineering lecturer at Nelson and Colne College, said: “She always liked to encourage young people, whatever they were doing. She was a leading object in the junior section at Thomas Street Bowling Club and she was also a leading light in Thomas Street getting the Queen’s Award almost two years ago. We went down to Buckingham Palace in July, 2011.”

Mrs Shaw died in the Royal Blackburn Hospital on February 28th, and her funeral took place at St Paul’s Church, Nelson, on Tuesday, followed by burial in Wheatley Lane, Fence.

As well as husband Malcolm, she leaves four children – Sue, Jane, James and Liz – and five grandchildren. Mr Shaw said: “She was always very family orientated and always looked after them well. And she was highly respected at sports clubs everywhere. She was recently involved in getting bowling wheelchairs for people in Pendle but she has sadly never seen them.”

HERE, Here! Vampires, demons, mythical monsters and supernatural beings gather round!

We are here to witness the resurrection of two 2D fighting game classics brought forth to our PlayStation 3 systems via PlayStation Network.

With this, I of course mean Darkstalkers Resurrection brought to us by developers Iron Galaxy Studios and publishers Capcom which combines arcade classics Darkstalkers 3 and Night Warriors: Darkstalkers Revenge.

These are straight ports of both games with minor improvements and both games feel just as good to play as they did the first time round and the graphics have stayed put. With a wide assortment of characters to choose from each with their own set of moves and super moves, Darkstalkers Resurrection, whilst being criticized in the past for being a Street Fighter clone, remains a force to be reckoned with and brings a sense of maturity to 2D fighting games.

Both Darkstalkers games feature different plots in arcade mode, Darkstalkers 3 sees Jedah who is one of the high nobles of Makai resurrected after a premature death. Seeing the plight the current demon world has encumbered, Jedah decides to recreate it by creating a dimension called Majigen to which he calls upon worthy souls to feed his world he wishes to recreate, so a fair few try to fight to destroy Jedah and his plans.

In Night Warriors, overlord Pyron has devoured many planets and plans to add Earth to his collection but a small collection of Earths most feared are ironically the only ones who can save it. Both stories feel like backdrops for the core gameplay giving the player some degree of reason to fight, there’s no cut scenes midway or intro sequences, just an ending clip after fighting the last boss. With Resurrection being straight ports, nothing has been included to add said cut scenes which were quite a disappointment.

Luckily though, the gameplay saves the day as it utilises the same game engine as the magnificent Street Fighter 3 series. Both games play exactly the same, 3 punch buttons (light, medium and heavy) and 3 kick buttons which can be combined with certain directional sequences to unleash special moves unique to whoever is chosen.

Continuation of attacks towards your opponent fills a special gauge that climbs up to 3 levels, this is for your characters ex super combos which are screen filling moves and are the most powerful moves in each characters arsenal.

The gameplay feels nice and tight, buttons are super responsive and special moves are simple to pull off and beginners can pause the game to view each characters move list. We have a wide array of characters to choose from here with a mixture of demons, zombies, Dracula wannabes and huge monsters which makes it accessible to all gamers.

Newly added online play is laggy however which ruins the whole experience online and it made me not want to go back to it, but it’s the Arcade mode in both games that shines above it all and for newcomers or gamers who want to sharpen their skills, there’s a training mode.

Both Darkstalkers games look no different to what they did the first time they were released. The game itself is centralised on the TV with a border on the sides with achievements scrolling constantly, fulfilling these, gives the player more points. Each character looks cool and each has unique animations which give them personalities and their winning animations are entertaining to watch.

My favourite character is Lord Raptor who is a living dead rock star who just looks and moves superbly with his winning animation being him playing a guitar in a heavy metal fashion, love it. With Night Warriors being the latest release of the two, it looks better with its sharper crisper graphics and with the inclusion of new characters and each of the backgrounds look fantastic.

Summary

Here we have faithful ports of 2 of the most interesting 2D fighters ever released with the superb character design and tight accessible gameplay and action that are a colourful blaze of visuals. Darkstalkers Resurrection shows us what the Darkstalkers games offer, however could have done just fine without the broken online gameplay. This game will appeal to all 2D fighting fans and retro fans alike.

Darkstalkers Resurrection

Developer: Iron Galaxy Studios

Publishers: Capcom

Xbox 360® (XBLA)

Playstation 3®(PSN)

Genre: Fighting

Release Date: 13th March 2013

Story – 3/5

Gameplay – 5/5

Graphics – 4/5

Overall – 4/5

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WORK in Westminster started with an urgent question to the Government regarding the news that Moody’s had stripped the UK of our triple A credit rating.

Luckily the news does not seem to have had an adverse effect on the stock markets, and it seems unlikely that pensions or investments will suffer but there will be some effects. Most noticeably the pound has fallen against the Euro and the Dollar meaning a little less for your spending money on any planned holidays. But importantly, the drop in sterling has an effect on imports which, in turn, increases inflation and the downgrading could weaken confidence. We must re-double our efforts to strengthen sectors such as manufacturing and hopefully the UK will see both the economy, and credit rating improve soon.

There was a by-election in Eastleigh after my colleague Chris Huhne resigned as an MP. This was a hard-fought battle between the Tories, Lib-Dems and UKIP. Luckily we managed to hold onto the seat but we experienced, as did the Tories, a huge swing towards UKIP who came in a close second. Despite public feeling and disillusionment towards the three main parties, I remain unconvinced UKIP is a credible “protest vote”.

As we saw not so long ago in Burnley with the British National Party, these parties actually have very little to offer. When the BNP had 11 seats on the council they failed to deliver for the people of Burnley and rightfully lost their seats.

For any of you who listen to Pienaars Politics on Radio 5 Live on a Sunday evening, you would no doubt have heard a very lively discussion between myself and MPs from Labour and the Tories about the Eastleigh by-election. I often go on John’s show and the discussion is always interesting.

I went to Thomas Whitham Sixth Form for an inspiration day with more than 1,000 young people from schools across Burnley. Exhibitors from a range of local business including waste disposal, health care and engineering came along and it was a great opportunity for young people to see the type of jobs available. Lesley Burrows helped to organise the event and it was a great success. I hope many of the young people who attended went away feeling inspired and determined to succeed in their future careers.

I went along to the University Technical College for an open day. The building is well on its way to completion and all of the sponsors were there including Aircelle, GE and Graham Engineering. It was great to see how the UTC is taking shape and I spoke to a lot of parent and potential students about what would be offered by the UTC. Everyone was really enthusiastic about the college and opportunities it would offer.

I had a very busy surgery at Sainsbury’s which generated a huge amount of casework on a wide variety of issues. On Saturday morning I was able to stand in the sunshine for the first time this year and my stall in Burnley town centre was really busy. Many people came to talk to me about every issue imaginable.

MOST of the winter saw our garden either frozen or waterlogged. I popped out for the odd hour to do this and that but generally there was little to be done but sit tight and hope for a sustained period of kinder weather to allow the land to be workable.

Now although we have had a drop of rain this week, and grey skies towards the latter end of the week, in truth we really have not had any rain of any consequence for around three weeks. Sunshine helps to dry things out, and we enjoyed particularly gorgeous weather last Tuesday with wall-to-wall sunshine that really lifted our spirits and which seemed to breathe new life into plants and gardens. Even the birds seemed to be out singing in force. A marvellous spring day.

Another characteristic of recent weather, however, has been a steady, if somewhat chilly, wind that reminds us that although the heat of the sun is strengthening, it is still early in the season, and it is too soon to be shedding too many layers of clothing just yet. The spin-off of this, however, has been a steady drying of the land. With a light breeze, land dries in much the same way as washing on a line. Combine it with sunshine and you really start to see things dry out.

The consequence of this has been that my lawn is now accessible without the risk of sinking in up to my chest. Combined with the thawing process, the land has suddenly, at last, become workable. I have only made a couple of minor sorties into the garden so far and on both occasions I have been struck by how much needs to be done.

One minute I’m enjoying looking at the snowdrops still flowering strongly, the next despairing at the state of my bamboo which, battered by rain, winter snows and high winds now looks like it has been sat on by an elephant. Despite clearing up what seems to be the world supply of fallen leaves, in little nooks and crannies, under and around pots, there still remain bits of debris to sort out. With planting time now returning, it is frustrating to have to perform so many menial bits of clearing up.

But it is worth it. So early in the season, we still have time on our hands, but as the spring really gets under way the list of happy chores seems to grow, and so time spent now on the more mundane stuff will pay dividends later.

It is really too early to start cutting grass, but with the blades set on high, I like to run the mower over the lawn to pick up the last bits of autumn leaves and debris. If nothing else it allows your garden to present a tidier face to the world, and as the lawn usually presents a substantial proportion of the garden area, time spent here seems to yield a big improvement.

It is the same with paths and patios. I generally treat my decking and patio about now with an algaecide which removes much of the accumulated algae and restores colour to the timber, stone and brickwork. Again, with big areas there is a quick psychological gain: you feel like you are starting to get on top of things.

Out in the pond, try to get rid of untidy growth from last year’s display, clear out leaves and reconnect your filters. I turned our waterfall back on mid-week and it felt like retaking possession of the garden. There remain plenty more leaves to scoop out, but be prompt or delay this for three or four weeks as the frog mating season is almost upon us and they should be left alone.

After a few hours of chores in the garden it is nice to reward yourself by actually planting something. Wifey likes sowing seeds in the greenhouse, especially vegetables, but my interest is mainly on the ornamental side. Bulbs are obviously current at the moment and they are eagerly pushing skywards in gardens everywhere. I love miniature daffodils in particular as they give good colour over a long period but do not get battered by wind. Dwarf tulips too, with an astonishing colour range and lovely fresh foliage are another winner.

But there is one old favourite that in tubs, rockeries, even spring baskets has no equal. The primrose (primula) is the number one spring bedding plant and gives a colour lift to any spring garden. Available in pink, white, yellow, red and blue it has no equal and after flowering for weeks has the added bonus of coming back next year.

After a day’s graft cleaning and tidying, planting a couple of tubs up with these little stars is your little reward.

It was worth every minute.

Pendle Council has bid farewell to a senior member of staff as Brian Cookson retired from his position.

Mr Cookson joined Pendle Council as Executive Director for Regeneration from Sefton Metropolitan Borough in 2004.

During his time in Pendle, he has overseen swathes of change across the borough, with housing regeneration projects in Nelson, Colne and Brierfield and the development of the ACE Centre.

Nelson town centre has also been transformed in Mr Cookson’s spell, Shackleton Hall in Colne has been restored to its former glory and the old library on Booth Street, Nelson, scheduled for launch in May, has undergone similar treatment.

Brierfield Mills’ regeneration is underway too to make it a landmark project for the North West.

As well as his four decades of local government experience, Mr Cookson’s Presidency of British Cycling has brought stellar cyclists to Pendle.

Mr Cookson helped create the Colne Grand Prix with competitors down the year including Sir Bradley Wiggins, Mark Cavendish and gold medal holding “Colne Cyclone” Steven Burke while the British National Championship Road Race was staged in Pendle in 2010.

On retiring, Mr Cookson said: “It’s a bit weird to be honest. I’ve been working for 40 years, pretty much all of it in the public sector. It’s been a great time.

“When I look back at the list of things as priorities (in Pendle), I would like to think we have delivered all of them. What has been more difficult is the changing economic conditions.

“Pendle Council has supported me with my work in cycling and I hope to have returned the favour a little.”

While retirement usually marks the riding off into the sunset, Mr Cookson could be cycling off into a sunrise of opportunities as he continues his work as President of British Cycling and hopes to “become more involved” with the International Cycling Union based in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Before that, he is taking off with his bike for two weeks in the Mallorcan sunshine and competing in a Pyrenees coast to coast race.

Mr Cookson added: “I’m going to relax a bit more, chill out for a bit and get a few things done at home. I’ve got lots and lots of things to keep me busy.”

Meanwhile, regeneration work in the borough will now be led by Pendle Council’s Economic and Housing Regeneration Manager, Julie Whittaker, and by Head of Central Services, Dean Langton.

Pendle Council’s Leader, Coun. Joe Cooney, and Coun. Paul White will continue to take the lead as portfolio holders for regeneration and economic growth.

BLACKBURN boss Michael Appleton - overlooked for the Burnley job back in October - hopes Rovers’ last-gasp equaliser hits Burnley’s spirits in the run-in.

David Dunn’s injury time strike earned Rovers a point they scarcely deserved, and put them 18th, four points above the relegation zone with nine games remaining.

Burnley are three points better off, in 11th place, having played a game more, and Appleton hopes to draw them into a dogfight: “I hope it’s damaging to Burnley and I hope it feels like it’s the worst result they have ever had.

“I thought for the effort in the second half, when Burnley lost their discipline and we kept ours, we stayed patient and luckily we kept Dunny on the pitch and he did the job for us.

“Hopefully that’ll be a catalyst for the next few games now.

“I’m delighted for David Dunn and everyone else in the dressing room but both sides didn’t create much over the 90 minutes.”

It was the fourth East Lancashire derby in which Dunn has scored, and after another injury-hit campaign Appleton admits he might have withdrawn him earlier: “In any other game with Dunn having played three games in a week we’d have been looking to get some fresh legs on.

“But because it was Burnley I kept him on the field, I just knew from an adrenalin point of view that he would keep going until the end.

“I’m delighted for Dunny, he’s had a bad time of it with injuries. Dunny is similar to myself, when knocked you tend to come out fighting and he did that.”

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A MAN has slammed two hospital trusts and demanded an apology for the care his mother received, claiming she was allowed to fall numerous times, once knocking her teeth out, given the wrong identity bracelet and was even left with sunburn after she was put in a bed next to a window.

The man, who does not want to be named, said his mum, from Burnley, who is now 66, suffered a brain haemorrhage, which was originally diagnosed as a water infection, three years ago.

She first attended Burnley General Hospital but, after her family decided they wanted a second opinion, she was taken to the Royal Blackburn Hospital, where she was admitted.

She was then transferred to the Royal Preston Hospital where she stayed for four weeks and had neurosurgery to repair an aneurysm.

Over a six-month period she stayed in Burnley and Blackburn hospitals as well as Pendle Community Hospital, Nelson, and Rakehead Rehabilitation Centre, Burnley, before returning to the Royal Preston.

But her son said the treatment she received in Blackburn and Preston was nothing short of neglect.

He claims she was left needing stitches over her right and left eye after two separate unsupervised falls and in another knocked three or four of her teeth out, which she had to pay £4,000 to have treated.

He said she had to wait several days for treatment for sunburn after drugs she was given as part of her treatment made her skin more sensitive to sunlight.

He claims she was put in a bed next to a south-facing window, which had no screens or blinds, causing her skin to blister and at one stage was given an identity bracelet belonging to another patient.

The 44-year-old son, who now lives in Colne, said his mother, a nurse for more than 30 years, was left without food and on one occasion was too dehydrated to have surgery, as well as having a number of personal hygiene issues.

He is now demanding an apology from East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs Burnley and Blackburn hospitals, and Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, in charge of the Royal Preston Hospital.

The son has also taken his concerns to the office of Burnley MP Gordon Birtwistle but said he is waiting for a response.

A spokeswoman for East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust said: “We are sorry to hear of the man’s concerns regarding his mother’s care.

“We would have welcomed the opportunity to investigate those concerns at the time three years ago, however, he did not formalise his concerns.

“If he wishes to get in touch with us we would be happy to discuss the issues directly with him.”

A Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust spokeswoman declined to issue a statement saying the Trust was unable to comment on individual cases.

SEAN Dyche bemoaned the lack of an off-side flag as Blackburn cruelly snatched a first derby win in 34 years from Burnley’s grasp.

Trailing to Jason Shackell’s first goal for the Clarets, David Dunn steered in the equaliser in the fifth minute of injury time.

And Dyche felt Dunn was off-side when the initial cross from former Clarets loanee Cameron Stewart came in, and then from Jason Lowe’s mis-control, with the ball bouncing fortuitously straight to the midfielder.

It came as Burnley, who played the last 25 minutes, plus time added on, down to 10 men after Ben Mee’s second yellow card, looked like holding on, and Dyche said: “It doesn’t feel like a defeat, it feels like a result that was taken away from us by a linesman’s decision.

“We’ve had too many of them, I’ve seen it back and he’s (Dunn) is two yards off-side.

“That, in a big game, was the turning point and we deserved three points and the bragging rights.

“I had a word with the officials to ask them what they thought, I just asked their opinion.

“I thought there were a lot of soft fouls that didn’t go our way, people going down easy in good defending positions.

“Sometimes you get them, sometimes you don’t, I’m more interested in the big one, they have to get those right, especially in big games like this.

“Our captain reacted immediately, he went over and said ‘it’s off-side’ and he was right.

“He was off-side from the cross, and the touch after that. But it is what it is.”

Mee was dismissed for the first time in his senior career, and Dyche had no complaints about either challenge on Dunn or Grant Hanley: “They’re soft bookings nowadays but I feel for referees, there’s not a lot of contact with the second one, the lad sees it coming and jumps over it, not in a bad way, he rides it. There’s no malice in it, but referees are under pressure.

“But Ben has to learn. All the players are in a learning process here, they’re young. I was frustrated as he’d had a bad touch and there was no need to go in for that challenge, just stand up. But he’s a really honest and tough lad and thought he could make it and get a block.

“An older, wiser player might have stood up, but it’s a big part of the learning process.”

Dyche was, however, delighted with his players’ commitment and effort on the day, which was closer to the standards he requires after suffering a dip of late: “The lads have been terrific, obviously with 10 men it’s difficult, but tactically, their effort and energy - I don’t think they had a chance to be honest.

“They finally get one, and regardless of it being off-side, it’s a lucky one, the lad’s tried to bring it down, he toes it and it falls perfectly in his path.

“I’m very proud of the players, it’s important to keep your nerve and we were excellent.

“We controlled the game first half, played some excellent stuff, created chances, the back four looked nice and solid...

“Even with the sending off I didn’t think we looked in any trouble, but it is what it is.

“I’ve enjoyed it, the players have enjoyed it and I’m sure the fans enjoyed seeing a group of players give everything. They deserved more.

“Pato had a good chance and the keeper made a good save, and Rosco glimmered one off the post, but just the general feel of it, I thought we had a real control of the game and I was really pleased with the endeavour, the attitude and the clear minds.”

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