ALAN Thompson has whetted Danish appetites for a taste of Coca-Cola Cup glory.

Per Frandsen and Michael Johansen face cosmopolitan Chelsea tonight fired by their midfield mate's memories of his Wembley wonder goal in the 1995 final.

The Burnden newcomers didn't know Bolton from Brighton 18 months ago but, such is the continuing pride of players who figured in the club's first major final for 37 years, they now have a clear picture of the events that day when Steve McManaman broke Wanderers hearts with both goals in a 2-1 Liverpool win.

"I've heard a lot about the game against Liverpool," says Frandsen. "I was talking to Tommo about it. He was telling me that it was a good goal. The greatest goal he's ever scored."

Wembley memories serve as a timely reminder of the glorious giant-killing exploits that were a feature of Wanderers rapid rise from obscurity to the ranks of the famed and the feared.

Burnden will be packed near to capacity tonight as Colin Todd's side attempt to add another prestigious name to their collection of cup scalps.

Liverpool, Everton, Arsenal, Aston Villa, West Ham and Norwich were all big name victims of a three-year knockout run that ran parallel with the club's exciting drive to the Premiership.

Thanks to satellite transmissions, Wanderers won fame abroad for their cup triumphs but the true significance was lost on those in Denmark where cup football has, until recently, been regarded as a poor second to league matters. They don't have the tradition of the FA Cup, for instance, and gates reflected a couldn't-care-less approach.

Frandsen explains: "Teams wouldn't take the cup too seriously, using younger players."

But Johansen, who accompanied him in the £2.25 million summer switch from FC Copenhagen, says things are changing: "Clubs realise that they can win a place in Europe so they are starting to take the cup more seriously."

It's taken the Danish duo no time at all to get into the swing of a crowded fixture schedule which litters an already cluttered league campaign with a handful of tough cup tests. Bristol City was a low key start but star-studded Chelsea offer an opportunity to test their highly-prized skills against Premiership opponents for the first time.

Frandsen says optimistically: "It will be a big game for us, for sure, and being at Burnden Park means we should have a very good chance against them if we can play how we usually play at home."

Johansen has seen enough of Chelsea to know the threat they will pose. But he's as determined as anyone to put one over on Ruud Gullit's multi-national Blue army.

"I've seen all their goals on television," says the little red-head whose wholehearted approach typifies the team spirit that is one of the hallmark's of Todd's team.

"I just hope there are no pictures of their goals tonight."

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