PAUL Weller today admitted that captaining the Clarets was one of the proudest moments of his career.

"I have been at the club for ten years now and it was a special experience that meant a lot to me," he said. "It was a really big honour, a proud day for my family as well and one I will always remember."

Weller got the armband in the absence of the injured pair of Steve Davis and Paul Cook in the recent game against Watford and he admitted he wasted little time in getting in touch with a former team-mate.

"I came through the ranks with Chris Brass and he got to skipper the side," he said. "Brassy always said that I might get the chance as well so I rang him the day after the game to tell him I had done it.

"The only disappointment for me was that we played well, created chances but failed to score."

Captaining the side was an indication of how Weller has managed to turn the season around after a frustrating beginning when he was dogged by injury and lack of match fitness.

Having missed much of pre-season he spent the first couple of months playing catch-up but he believes that the busy Christmas programme will help to get him up close to 100 per cent.

"In the next few weeks the games will be coming thick and fast but if I can get through playing Saturday, midweek, Saturday, midweek I will be fine.

"In fact, the gaffer said to me in training this week that he thinks I am slowly getting there and looking better all the time. I certainly feel better and the aches and pains are getting less.

"The problem was not just pre-season but the fact that I had not trained properly from February and so my body has had to get used to it all again."

Weller produced one of the finest performances in his career in the Worthington Cup defeat of Spurs last month and he is clearly relishing having a settled role in the heart of the midfield.

He has performed alongside a variety of partners with Tony Grant, Paul Cook and even club captain Steve Davis joining him and he has helped Burnley produce some flowing football in recent weeks.

With Rotherham the visitors to Turf Moor at the weekend, Weller knows it will be a tough battle having taken them on at Millmoor only a few weeks ago.

But he is also aware that it is a big game as four of the five matches over the festive period are away from Turf Moor now that they have been drawn away to Grimsby Town in the third round of the FA Cup.

With Davis fit again and leading the side, the captain's armband is taken care off for the immediate future.

But Weller will never forget his first experience as Clarets skipper, even if he never does it again.