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We'll be boosted with the win over QPR on Tuesday night in the FA Cup replay, but we really need to start picking up league points again. It is now four weeks since the win at Bristol City took us to 43 points, but since then it has been three successive defeats.
That win at Ashton Gate left us four places and six points above Preston, but we go into the game out of the play off places and are a point behind our most local rivals in this division having seen them take our place in the top six.
The season has really been one of ups and downs for Preston. They got off to a terrific start and were unbeaten in their first six league games of the season, a sequence that took them right up towards the top of the table.
But a 3-1 home defeat against a Wolves side that ended the game with nine men led to a downturn in their fortunes. They followed that with another 3-1 defeat, this time against us at the Turf, and had a run of four successive defeats and a win against Reading provided them with their only points in nine games.
Now in the bottom half of the table they started to climb again with against Watford at Deepdale and their recent form has been so good they've stormed right back up into the play off places.
On the day of our last win at Bristol they were beaten in the league for the last time against QPR and have lost just that once in their last six league games, although they were beaten in the FA Cup by Liverpool.
Manager Alan Irvine has sort of strengthened his squad this month. There are no new players but both Eddie Nolan and Ross Wallace have converted their loan moves into permanent signings.
Whether they will be able to bring anyone else in during the transfer window remains to be seen as they try and secure a play off place for the first time in three years.
It looks as though Irvine will have Callum Davidson fit again. He suffered a back problem in the defeat to Liverpool in the cup and missed the win at Wolves.
He might well have to settle for a place on the bench though and they could field the same side that played at Molineux last week.
If so they will line up: Andy Lonergan, Billy Jones, Sean St. Ledger, Youl Mawene, Eddie Nolan, Chris Sedgwick, Richard Chaplow, Paul McKenna, Ross Wallace, Jon Parkin, Stephen Elliott. Subs from: Chris Neal, Callum Davidson, Barry Nicholson, Simon Whaley, Chris Brown, Neil Mellor.
For Owen Coyle it is a case of one in, one out as far as suspensions are concerned. Michael Duff is back in contention after missing the cup win in midweek but Wade Elliott now misses a game through suspension for the first time since he joined the Clarets.
There are injury concerns too. Martin Paterson pulled out on Tuesday after feeling his hamstring in the pre-match warm up and Chris McCann was substituted during the first half. Both remain doubts but both could still play whilst Kevin McDonald and Christian Kalvenes could both be fit enough to be on the bench.
Much will depend on how Owen wants to play, whether he opts to use Graham Alexander in a holding role. I think he might just do that, and if so the Burnley team could be as follows:
Brian Jensen, Michael Duff, Clarke Carlisle, Steven Caldwell, Stephen Jordan, Graham Alexander, Chris Eagles, Joey Gudjonsson, Chris McCann, Steven Thompson, Martin Paterson. Subs from: Diego Penny, Christian Kalvenes, Alan Mahon, Kevin McDonald, Alex MacDonald, Jay Rodriguez, Ade Akinbiyi, Robbie Blake.
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It had been billed as a must win game with our play off hopes fading, but we didn't do anything like enough to win the game. It was another disappointing performance, and with the obligatory goals given away.
Brian Jensen, David Unsworth and Chris McCann came in for Gabor Kiraly, Stanislav Varga and Joey Gudjonsson from the team beaten by Wolves a week earlier.
We actually started the brighter of the two but in their very first attack Preston took the lead. Simon Whaley could do no more than find Unsworth with a poor cross but the usually reliable defender cleared it straight to Tamas Priskin and he gave Brian Jensen no chance.
All Preston were doing were hitting long balls down the pitch but we couldn't deal with it and how we didn't concede more than the one goal is anyone's guess.
Eventually we started to get on top. Both Wade Elliott and Robbie Blake came close and with just seven minutes of the first half remaining James O'Connor got an equaliser although there was some suspect goalkeeping from Lonergan.
But what we could do in the first half we could do in the second and again Preston scored from their first attack. Brian Jensen failed to deal with a corner and we couldn't then get the ball clear in the ensuing scramble before Chris Brown scored from close range.
We made substitutions but we never really threatened to get back into it, and the only other thing of note was Clarke Carlisle getting himself sent off for a two footed lunge at St. Ledger.
A 2-1 result just about ended our play off hopes whilst the win for Preston virtually assured them safety from relegation. We will need better than this performance tomorrow.
The teams were;
Preston: Andy Lonergan, Billy Jones, Youl Mawene, Sean St. Ledger, Callum Davidson, Chris Sedgwick, Darren Carter, Paul McKenna, Simon Whaley, Tamas Priskin (Neil Mellor 70), Chris Brown. Subs not used: Chris Neal, Matt Hill, Lewis Neal, Richard Chaplow.
Burnley: Brian Jensen, Graham Alexander, Clarke Carlisle, David Unsworth (Steven Caldwell 45), Jon Harley, Wade Elliott, James O'Connor (Joey Gudjonsson 73), Chris McCann, Kyle Lafferty (Andrew Cole 68), Ade Akinbiyi, Robbie Blake. Subs not used: Gabor Kiraly, Alan Mahon.
Previous 20 Seasons | |||||
Season | Div | Ven | Result | Att | Scorers |
1989/90 | LD | a | 0-3 | 5,241 | . |
1990/91 | LD | a | 1-6 | 12,016 | Bray |
1992/93 | 2 | a | 0-2 | 7,209 | . |
| . | . | h | 2-0 | 12,648 | Heath(2) |
1993/94 | LC | a | 2-1 | 6,283 | Davis Eyres |
. | . | h | 4-1 | 9,346 | Deary Eyres Francis Russell |
. | AG | a | 1-2 | 4,485 | Eyres |
1996/97 | 2 | a | 1-1 | 12,652 | Nogan |
| . | . | h | 1-2 | 16,186 | Barnes |
1997/98 | 2 | h | 1-1 | 13,809 | Cooke |
. | . | a | 3-2 | 12,263 | Payton Cooke N Moore |
. | AW | h | 1-0 | 10,079 | Payton |
1998/99 | 2 | a | 1-4 | 15,888 | Eastwood |
| . | AW | h | 0-1 | 3,366 | . |
| . | 2 | h | 0-1 | 11,561 | . |
1999/2000 | 2 | a | 0-0 | 13,708 | . |
| . | . | h | 0-3 | 22,310 | . |
2000/01 | 1 | a | 1-2 | 17,355 | Moore |
| . | . | h | 3-0 | 16,591 | Moore Ball Little |
2001/02 | 1 | a | 3-2 | 20,370 | Gnohere(2) Little |
| . | . | h | 2-1 | 18,388 | I Moore Johnson |
2002/03 | 1 | a | 1-3 | 16,046 | Taylor |
| . | . | h | 2-0 | 12,245 | Blake Papadopoulos |
2003/04 | 1 | a | 3-5 | 18,802 | I Moore Gnohere Blake(pen) |
| . | . | h | 1-1 | 15,837 | Blake |
2004/05 | C | h | 2-0 | 15,318 | Blake(2) |
| . | . | a | 0-1 | 18,202 | . |
2005/06 | C | a | 0-0 | 17,139 | . |
| . | . | h | 0-2 | 17,220 | . |
2006/07 | C | h | 3-2 | 14,871 | J O'Connor St. Ledger(og) Gray |
| . | . | a | 0-2 | 17,666 | . |
2007/08 | C | h | 2-3 | 14,829 | Lafferty McCann |
| . | . | a | 1-2 | 16,149 | J O'Connor |
2008/09 | C | h | 3-1 | 16,276 | Gudjonsson Caldwell Eagles |