GRAHAM Alexander has told Burnley now is the time to stop flirting with the top six and make a concerted push for promotion.

A trip to Coventry was a catalyst in the Clarets’ play-off winning campaign of 2008/09 as they came from behind to win 3-1, with all of their goals coming in the second half – two in the last two minutes.

And as the captain prepares for a return to his birthplace, he is desperate for a similar success to put their away hoodoo to bed.

In 30 games on the road, in both the Championship and the Premier League, Burnley have only won one.

Although they are unbeaten in five games away from Turf Moor, they have yet to pick up more than a point on their travels this season.

But Alexander is hopeful their luck will turn this weekend, after staging a second-half recovery at home to Watford.

“That was a big three points for us,” said the 39-year-old, who scored a match-winning penalty.

“If we hadn’t won we could have dropped down a few places and been out of the picture, but coming back from behind once again and picking up three points I think showed the spirit in the team.

“It gets us back into the play-off picture.

“We have to put a run of wins together now to cement our place in the play-offs rather than flirting with it one week and being out of it the next.

“And obviously we need to pick up a couple of wins away from home because the longer it goes people are going to start mentioning it all the time.”

Recalling their last trip to the Ricoh Arena, where Robbie Blake made ‘Bad Beat Bob’ pants famous after scoring his first of nine goals that season, Alexander said: “It was a great night down there. Rob got his pants out, which is stuck on my mind indelibly!

“But it was a great result for us.

“It’s always a hard place to go and Saturday will be no different.

“Aidy Boothroyd knows the division inside out and he’s an experienced manager, even though he’s relatively young.

“He knows the division, he knows how to make teams hard to beat, and Saturday’s going to be that way.

“They’ve had three defeats on the trot, but I’ve spoken with Clarke (Carlisle) about Aidy Boothroyd and he’s a really positive person so he’ll be looking to win three points on Saturday.

“But so will we.

“I’m sure it will be a good game. It will definitely be a tough one, but we think we’re good enough to go there and win.”

And Alexander is targeting his first away goal against his boyhood team.

“Hopefully I can put that right before I don’t get many more opportunities,” said the Scotland international.

“I’ve scored against Coventry a couple of times in home games but never down there.

“I always wanted to score at Highfield Road because that’s where I used to go and watch football as a kid, so I was gutted when they moved from there without managing to score.

“But I’ll take one at the Ricoh as long as it contributes to a win.”