NEW dad Andy Payton will be hoping to make it a double celebration by firing Burnley to victory at Reading tonight.

Payton wasn't able to travel with the Clarets squad yesterday as his wife went into labour.

But with a baby girl arriving safely, Payton was set to link up with the team at their southern base this morning.

"He's on his way down to join the squad and should be here for training," confirmed manager Stan Ternent.

Payton would have the chance to get his head down this afternoon to catch up on any missed sleep and should take his place in an unchanged Clarets' line-up.

The leading scorer hasn't found the net in eight games but Ternent has been pleased with his overall contribution and is backing the eight-goal striker, who scored at the Majedski Stadium last season, to hit the target again soon.

Big-spending Reading slipped into the bottom four last night and are struggling to take off under the new management team of Alan Pardew and John Gorman.

"They have spent a lot of money and it's a tough game for us. But we will be well prepared and we will be ready," insisted Ternent, whose side will regain third place in the table behind Preston and Saturday's opponents Wigan if they can pick up a third away success of the campaign.

Burnley have won six of their last seven League and Cup games and the only goals they have conceded on that run came in a 2-1 defeat at Luton Town.

However, goalkeeper Paul Crichton was quick to share out the praise.

"I'm getting clean sheets off the back of the boys playing brilliant, to be fair. We've defended well as a team and it's a bonus for the keeper if I'm getting related to the clean sheets," he said.

Mitchell Thomas has brought added stability to the centre of Burnley's defence this season. And in the absence of Paul Smith and Tom Cowan, Gordon Armstrong has done an excellent job at left-back.

"It's one of the oldest defences I've played behind!" Crichton added.

"But there's a lot of games between them in that defence and in the team as a whole and everyone is playing well.

"Reading will be a hard game but every one is in this league. We are doing quite well and we just hope we can keep going.

"They are having a bit of a struggle, even though they've got all the facilities and everything.

"It's like everybody in this league, everyone wants to get out of it and nearly everyone's still got a chance at the moment.

"We will just get our heads down to try and reproduce the form we've been showing at the moment and try and get a win."

A Clarets victory would put them a point behind Preston and within three of leaders Wigan.

However, Crichton insisted that no thoughts will be given to Saturday's big game at the JJB Stadium before tonight's job has been done.

"Every game is a big game because we are near the top and we want to stay there. Everybody is geared up for the game that's coming next to try and get the three points and we don't look any further than that," he said.

Reading will be without injured striker Martin Williams, who will be replaced by Jim McIntyre.

Burnley from: Crichton, West, Armstrong, Mellon, Davis, Thomas, Little, Cook, Cooke, Payton, Mullin, Johnrose, Jepson, Branch, Brass, Lee, Weller, Robertson, Cowan.

Reading from: Whitehead, Gurney, Bernal, Hunter, Polston, Murty, Caskey, Parkinson, Evers, McIntyre, Forster, Gray, Grant, Lockwood, Casper, Howie.

Former Burnley boss Adrian Heath hit out at the Sheffield United board after last night quitting as manager of the crisis-hit club.

Heath, who left Turf Moor two-and-a-half years ago to work as number two at Everton and then Sunderland, made his decision following his side's 3-1 defeat to fellow First Division strugglers Port Vale, and just hours after plc chairman Mike McDonald stepped down.

He said: "Where the stability of it all is concerned, I hope for whoever comes in that the board will realise that the situation needs to be settled down.

"The financial aspect needs to be sorted so the next manager can concentrate on what Sheffield United do on the field."

Heath, appointed five months ago and whose side hasn't won in eight games, is the third manager to quit the club in two seasons after Nigel Spackman and Steve Bruce walked out under similar circumstances.

He added: "I thought outward interests would not affect the job but they clearly have. It's been a very difficult time which should stand me in good stead further down the road.

"Whoever goes in upstairs can't keep changing things - I'm sure they won't."

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