BURNLEY’S Graham Alexander has set himself one major goal before his playing days are over – to avenge two play-off final heartbreaks and finally reach the Premier League.

Alexander, now 37, has been an ever present in Burnley’s play-off challenge this season and has racked up 740 league appearances with Scunthorpe, Luton, Preston and the Clarets.

But the Scottish international is yet to play a single top-flight match during his 18-year professional career and saw his hopes of promotion to the Premier League cruelly dashed when Preston were twice beaten in the Championship play-off final.

Alexander had high hopes of reaching the promised land in 2001 but David Moyes’ North End were beaten 3-0 by Bolton at Cardiff, while four years later he again started at the Millennium Stadium but saw Preston – then managed by Billy Davies – lose 1-0 to West Ham.

The veteran, though, has made it clear that he has no plans for retirement any time soon and does not want to end his playing days without achieving his dream.

“There are still little things that I want to achieve,” he said.

“I want to play in the Premier League. At my age it is going to be difficult, but I want to play in the Premier League.

“That is keeping driving me on because there are plenty of things that I haven’t achieved in football which are still possible, so I’ll still chase them.

“I have been one game away twice, but I’ve been one game away from a lot of things – like Carling Cup finals.

“That was eight years ago when I first played in the play-off final. They are the sort of games you want to be involved in but they are the sort of games you want to win as well.

“I hope we might have one of those games this year. That’s what everyone’s aiming for at Burnley.

“Everyone here enjoyed the challenge of playing against Premier League teams in the cup and we’ve shown that we can handle ourselves and equip ourselves well. But it would be a lot better to try that on a week to week basis.

“We just want to try to get there. Burnley haven’t been in the top division for a long time and that’s the target for everyone here.”

Not since 1976, in fact, have the Clarets played in the first tier of English football. But they go into Saturday’s home game against Sheffield Wednesday in eighth place in the Championship table and just one point behind fourth.

And Alexander believes that, if Burnley reach the play-offs, the big match experience gained from two cup runs this season will greatly increase their chances of success.

“I think so,” he said. “I think we can take confidence from the big games we’ve played. Apart from half a game against Tottenham, we’ve really equipped ourselves well and we’ve done really well.

“The more big games you experience, it definitely helps you afterwards in other big games. I was a lot more relaxed in the second play-off final I played in than the first, because you’ve been there before.

“I think the cup games will stand us in good stead for the games coming up.”