IT may be a painful experience for Burnley fans to watch this weekends play-offs action but a number of former favourites will be in action across the country.

Three of the sides that edged out Burnley in the race for the first division play-offs have Clarets connections.

Wolves assistant manager John Ward has formerly filled that role at Turf Moor when he was number two to Adrian Heath.

Now all his motivational powers will be needed to lift his players as they try to come to terms with the bitter disappointment of losing out to their Black Country rivals West Bromwich Albion on the final day of the season.

Ward admitted earlier this season that he was hoping that both Burnley and Wolves would secure promotion to the Premier League but now it is only the men in Old Gold who can make it.

They did the double over Stan Ternent's team and their win on Easter Saturday at Turf Moor looked to be enough to keep the Baggies at bay.

But now it is Paul Crichton's Norwich City who will hope to inflict more misery on Wolves and ensure that the side finishing third is unlucky again.

In the vast majority of seasons the team closest to automatic promotion has failed to recover from the disappointment of missing out and lost out in the lottery that is the play-offs.

Crichton was on the bench during last Sunday's dramatic finale and his delight at Norwich reaching the top six was tempered by disappointment for his former team mates at Turf Moor.

Young keeper Robert Green looks certain to keep his place for the first leg at Carrow Road but Crichton is ready to play if needed.

In the other semi-final it is likely that Danny Sonner will also be a spectator as Birmingham take on Millwall at St Andrews in the first leg.

Sonner was a recent visitor to Turf Moor as part of the ten year reunion of the 1992 Division Four championship winning side.

Injury has disrupted his season and although he is now back in training he has been unable to break into Steve Bruce's team.

In the second division play-offs former Clarets striker Andy Cooke is hoping to keep his place in the Stoke City side that will take on Cardiff City at the Britannia Stadium.

He recently got back into the side and has grabbed a couple of goals and he admitted: "I'm pleased because there were a couple of weeks which were really disheartening for me.

"I'm just happy now to be back in the team, fully fit and scoring goals.

"The lads are quite relaxed about the play-offs, more so than this time last year. There's a lot of self-belief and I think if we beat Cardiff we'll go all the way."

In the third division Cheltenham travel to Hartlepool which means Paul Smith coming face to face with Mark Yates.

The two players have enjoyed good seasons and Yates was part of the Cheltenham side that knocked Burnley out of the FA Cup in January.

But the Robins squandered a great chance of automatic promotion and, like Wolves, will be desperate to put it right in the play-offs.