ANDY COOKE again proved himself the man for the big occasion to help Burnley pull off a dramatic 4-3 win with his first goal in three months, writes Pete Oliver.

And the back-to-form striker made Millwall pay yet again with his fifth goal against the Londoners in the past two seasons.

Cooke hadn't found the net since scoring against Oldham in January and spent the previous four games on the sidelines following an ankle injury.

But the Clarets striker, who memorably scored the FA Cup winner against Derby in December and the relegation-sparing brace against Plymouth a couple of seasons ago, returned with a well-taken strike that helped Burnley gain enough of a cusion to hold off Millwall's three-goal fightback. "I'm just glad to be back in the side, fortunate to get a starting place and glad to get a goal more than anything.

"I needed one because after a while it starts to play on your mind. But I had the injury and it's just great to come back with a goal," said Cooke, who has now got eight for the season.

Burnley's hopes of automatic promotion would have disappeared without three points and Cook admitted: "With the build-up to the game you could feel the pressure of it really.

"But I love the pressure of big games, anyway, and I was glad to be back in it.

"It was a game we needed to win. The type of game it was you can laugh about it now, although it was very nerve-wracking." And Cooke was looking to stay in the groove at Brentford this afternoon after an encouraging comeback.

"I've not only scored but had other chances where I could have scored as well, which is pleasing. In other games when that's not happening you start to worry a bit," he added.

Millwall joint boss Keith Stevens saw his side slip to sixth ahead of today's big game against fifth-placed Gillingham but backed his players after their bold fightback almost came off.

"At 4-0 down I told the lads to have a go.

"We had enough chances to win the game and it could have been 6-5.

"But it wasn't our day," he said.