CHAIRMAN Barry Kilby has voiced his anger after seeing Burnley hit hard in the pocket by the fixture list.

The Clarets supremo lashed out at Football League chiefs for ignoring his pleas to be handed a long overdue home game on Boxing day.

And Kilby has also slammed the controversial decision to wipe out a lucrative Easter programme in the Coca Cola Championship to clear the decks for two England World Cup qualifying games.

The 2004/05 fixtures threw up a repeat of last season's Boxing Day trip to Crewe Alexandra - and gave the Clarets a disappointing fifth away game in six seasons.

Kilby moaned: "One of my biggest beefs is that once again we have not been given a home game on Boxing Day.

"In all my time as chairman we have had one game at home, against Wolves in 2002.

"It is traditionally a big pay day for home clubs, who now keep their own gate money, and once again we have missed out so naturally I am disappointed.

"I've complained about it before now, but these decisions seem to be shrouded in mystery."

The lack of Easter games next season caught most supporters by surprise, with Burnley now scheduled for two-week break between the visit to Sheffield United on March 19 and the home game with Watford on April 2 in order to accommodate England in their World Cup qualifiers against Northern Ireland and Azerbaijan.

Kilby added: "Easter is another time when we should be looking to generate some income through decent crowds, but this year there are no games for two weeks because of international commitments.

"It just shows the blatant disregard UEFA have for English domestic football to schedule two games at a traditional time for our game."

Burnley will kick off the 2004-05 season with a home game against Sheffield United on Saturday, August 7, with a trip to South Yorkshire to face Rotherham United three days later.

However, before then the Clarets have a packed pre-season schedule that may suffer another financial blow following Wayne Rooney's injury for England last night.

The Everton striker broke a metatarsal bone in his foot during England's penalty shoot-out defeat to Portugal - a setback that almost certainly rules him out of what would have been a surefire sell-out friendly clash with David Moyes' side at Turf Moor on Thursday, July 22.