THEY say schooldays are the best days of your life.

A heady concoction of education and that youthful joie de vivre that maketh the man.

But you are never too old to learn.

And despite his classroom days being well behind him, David May is the first to admit that First Division football has been a steep learning curve, even for someone with European, FA Cup and Premiership title medals in the cabinet.

May admitted: "I would dearly like to be at the other end of the table, but being here has taught me a lot in terms of the differences between the Premiership and the First Division.

"The standard of play generally has been the main eye-opener. In the Premiership you get a lot more time on the ball and are given more respect.

"In this league there's no respect for anybody. Straight from the kick off, teams are in your face, whereas in the Premiership sides tend to bed in and feel each other out.

"It's just hustle and bustle and in-your-face football and you need to deal with situations quicker. On the whole though, I've enjoyed it."

May signs off against Norwich tomorrow before starting the first of a two-game ban over the Easter period.

And he is determined to help maintain Burnley's unbeaten home record this year against Nigel Worthington's side, who have their own loftier designs.

He added: "The other teams in and around us will be expecting Norwich to win and if we can get something out of this game, it's an extra point towards safety with games to come against the bottom teams around us.

"It won't be easy, because they are top of the league and anyone that is up there at this stage of the season deserves it, just as we deserve to be where we are.

"We are not performing enough and that's the truth. The league never lies."

That 10th booking of the season, picked up at Bradford while arguing against his controversially disallowed goal, is a bone of contention with the former Manchester United ace.

May puts many of his yellow cards this season down to rank bad refereeing decisions.

And the 33-year-old defender insists the current standard of officialdom is nothing short of an embarrassment.

He said: "The main thing that annoys me is being suspended, but that is down to the refereeing.

"It's such a poor standard, but you have to put up with these things because it's the same for everybody.

"Last Saturday I was stupid and I went too far, but many of the bookings I've received are just a joke.

"I don't think I've made two bad tackles all season and the rest is just poor, poor refereeing.

"But no matter how many times I say it, the manager says it, Alex Ferguson or Arsene Wenger say it, nothing ever happens.

"There is a refereeing decision every weekend throughout the divisions and it causes uproar and costs players and clubs their livelihoods."