THOSE who believe that the English premiership is miles ahead of Scottish football in terms of skill and the quality of players on show would do well to discuss the matter with Mark Burchill, the Celtic striker, who is currently on loan to Ipswich Town.

According to Burchill the standard of play down south isn't that much better than up here, a claim many people will find difficult to accept, but something Burchill clearly believes is the case.

He has started two out of the last four games for George

Burley's side, which currently sit third in the premiership table, and although he made it clear yesterday he would like to stay at Celtic, a permament move down south looks on the cards.

''I don't think football in England is that much different to football up here,'' said Burchill. ''I just think maybe down there, people are a bit over-rated.

''I had the perception that when I went down there that every player I'm going to play against is going to be brilliant, but it's not the case at all.''

Confidence has never been in short supply for Burchill, who suggested that maybe the fact that Celtic will need a bigger squad for next season's

Champions League campaign may mean Martin O'Neill, the Celtic coach, may consider retaining his services.

That may be a long shot as O'Neill agreed to sell him to Birmingham earlier in the season, but the deal fell through after a dispute over his personal terms.

However, despite that the

striker has made it clear just where his emotional ties were.

''I'm a Celtic fan, and Celtic player, and nothing will change until I sign on the dotted line for someone else,'' said Burchill. For the foreseeable future I

cannot see anything happening but I would like to work things out with Celtic as I'm desperate to stay and everyone knows that.''

Burchill and Kenny Miller will play together for the first time at international level tomorrow evening, a partnership which Alex Smith, the Scotland Under-21 coach, believes will endure for many years to come.

The pair are definite starters against their Belgian counterparts at East End Park and with Craig Brown's lack of options up front for the national side Smith believes the Old Firm pair could just be the long-term answer to his woes. Both have struggled at club level with Burchill being allowed to go on loan to Ipswich, while Kenny Miller has spent a long time on the substitutes bench of a struggling Rangers team.

Despite that Smith believes that the youngsters have the

ability to make the big jump of leading the line at under-21 level to doing the same for the national side in the years to come.

Smith also believes there are a number of other young strikers in his under-21 squad like Tom McManus at Hibs and Derek Young at Aberdeen, who have the ability to make an impact at national level. But it is Burchill and Miller who Smith believes can provide the goals to help Scotland's Under-21 team beat the Belgians, who are currently undefeated after two group games.

''Burchill has been with me in several squads, but either he or Kenny Miller has been taken out of the squad for one reason or another and I have never had the opportunity to select them as a pair,'' said Smith. In our group we have beaten Latvia away but then got beat by Croatia, but I am sure we would have got a result there if both of them had played. But Burchill went to the first team squad and was lost to me.''

Smith also admitted he was excited by the potential shown by Stirling-born brothers Steven and Gary Caldwell, both of whom will play against the Belgians. They will be the first brothers to play in the same Scotland Under-21 team and are believed to be the first brothers to ever play together in a Scotland side since the Shaw brothers back in the 1940s.

Back then Davie Shaw, who played for Hibs and went on to manage Aberdeen and Jock ''Tiger'' Shaw, who was the

captain of Rangers, played for the full national side, something which the Caldwell brothers would love to emulate.

Both have great potential with Steven, 20, being signed by Kevin Keegan after a spell at Rangers while Gary, 18, trained with the other half of the Old Firm before ending up beside his brother at St James Park after being signed by Kenny Dalglish.

Steven, a defender, has played seven times in the centre of the Newcastle defence, while his brother, who also plays at the back, has been on the bench on several occasions.