Town boss George Burley is concerned that veteran central defender Mark Venus may not be fit for the match at Arsenal a week tomorrow. The ex-Wolves man has a knee injury which led to his substitution in the game at Bolton last week.

Burley, who also has a new injury worry over Fabian Wilnis, sees the Arsenal game as another chance to prove the pundits wrong: "This is going to be another test of character for everyone. We have played badly before and bounced back.

"We have been written off before and proved people wrong. We did it in the Nationwide — people said we would never be promoted and we were. Then they said we would go straight back down.

"Now they are saying no team bottom at Christmas has stayed in the Premiership. We want to show those people they are wrong."

Burley adds that the 15-day gap between the Bolton and Arsenal fixtures is hardly ideal for his side. Earlier this year Town went three weeks without a game and returned to action with a poor defeat at home to Southampton.

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