Third time lucky

Last updated : 23 January 2007 By Tony Scholes

Dominic Matteo

It is just over three weeks since this particular fixture was called off following a morning downpour but this time there should certainly be no problem with rain with Burnley having sat under clear blue skies all day today.

Usually in such a short space of time there would be little different to report from the previous match preview that was entitled All change at Stoke but on this occasion that's not the case with both clubs having made some significant changes to their squads.

Just hours before the game was scheduled to take place on its original New Year's Day date we signed Ade Akinbiyi and he was all set to be introduced to the fans that afternoon. Now he'll play and we've three other new signings in the squad in Mike Pollitt, Eric Djemba-Djemba and Joey Gudjonsson.

At Stoke, they were just saying farewell to Lee Hendrie, whilst Andy Griffin had returned to Portsmouth, both after loan spells, and it was scheduled to be Patrik Berger's last game before he followed Hendrie back to Villa. Salif Diao would have played, but he too has returned to Liverpool although his permanent return to Stoke is considered imminent.

One of those loan players has returned, Andy Griffin on loan until the end of the season, whilst they have also signed Dominic Matteo from Blackburn, and he made his debut in their 3-2 defeat against Preston on Saturday.

Tony Pulis admitted to being gutted seeing his side fall to defeat after leading 2-0 after just seven minutes, their goals coming from Liam Lawrence, who has now becoming a permanent Stoke player, and Mamady Sidibe.

Click HERE to see all Stoke's results this season.

Team News

Pulis is expected to make a couple of changes for tonight's game. Ricardo Fuller, suspended against his former club, will return whilst John Eustace could come in for Matteo who played his first game for over a year on Saturday.

They are expected to line up: Steve Simonsen, Andy Wilkinson, Michael Duberry, Danny Higginbotham, Andy Griffin, Carl Hoefkens, John Eustace, Darel Russell, Liam Lawrence, Mamady Sidibe, Ricardo Fuller. Subs from: Carl Dickinson, Dave Brammer, Adam Rooney, Anthony Sweeney, Dominic Matteo, Vincent Pericard.

Click HERE to see the full Stoke squad.

Who will start for the Clarets? Now that's the six million dollar question. There's a further name to add to the squad since we played at Southampton, there's four since we last played at home, and I expect all four to feature.

We know Andy Gray is out, so is Frank Sinclair who has a groin injury following the calf problem that originally ruled him out. There a couple of knocks but the only other player known to be doubtful is Alan Mahon so we can only assume he'll miss out tonight.

I've listened to debate and argument, and I think with Ade back in the side we might just switch tonight to a 4-5-1 formation. Steve Cotterill hinted at it last week when he said it was an option with Ade Akinbiyi able to play the lone striker role.

This could be the side tonight, and given the number of new signings for home fans I've included the squad numbers.

23 Mike Pollitt, 2 Wayne Thomas, 6 Michael Duff, 4 John McGreal, 3 Jon Harley, 11 Wade Elliott, 18 Eric Djemba-Djemba, 25 Joey Gudjonsson, 7 James O'Connor, 9 Steve Jones, 20 Ade Akinbiyi. Subs from: 22 Stephen Foster, 14 Garreth O'Connor, 19 John Spicer, 16 Chris McCann, 17 Kyle Lafferty, 21 Gifton Noel-Williams.

Last Meeting

In the 2003/04 season they beat us in this fixture with an Ade Akinbiyi goal, a season later he scored twice as they came back from 2-0 to draw against us after Michael Duff had been sent off. So it was probably no surprise when Ade grabbed the only goal of the game on Boxing Day last season to seal a 1-0 victory for the Clarets.

The victory took us above Stoke, leaving us in fifth and sixth places respectively, and there was no suggestion that either of us were going to hit a slide, although in the end both of us ended the season as strugglers in the bottom half of the table.

It was played in front of our biggest crowd of the season but we didn't play particularly well in the first half and we were perhaps fortunate to go in level at half time.

The second half was so different, and we got ourselves so much on top and just eleven minutes in came the crucial goal. Wade Elliott and Michael Duff were the instigators down the right hand side and when there cross to the far post was knocked back across, there was Ade with the finishing touch.

It could have been two, it could have been three, and we were so much on top that as we moved into the last quarter of the game we even won a free kick, our first of the afternoon, from referee Nigel Miller.

In the end it was a deserved win and a win Stoke found difficult to deal with. As captain Frank Sinclair went to shake hands with Sammy Bangoura, who had turned in an inept performance, the Guinea born striker slapped him across the face.

The teams that Boxing Day were;

Burnley: Brian Jensen, Michael Duff, Frank Sinclair, John McGreal, Jon Harley, Wade Elliott, Micah Hyde, James O'Connor, Graham Branch (Wayne Thomas 86), Ade Akinbiyi, Gifton Noel-Williams. Subs not used: Lee Grant, Garreth O'Connor, Danny Karbassiyoon, John Spicer.

Stoke: Steve Simonsen, John Halls, Carl Hoefkens, Michael Duberry, Marlon Broomes, Luke Chadwick, Dave Brammer, Darel Russell, Paul Gallagher, Mamady Sidibe, Sammy Bangoura. Subs not used: Ed de Goey, Junior, Peter Sweeney, Lewis Buxton, Karl Henry.

Previous 20 Seasons
Season	Div	Ven	Result	Att	Scorers
1990/91	FAC	h	2-0	12,949	Francis White
1992/93	2	h	0-2	16,667	.
.	.	a	1-1	21,840	Randall
1994/95	1	h	1-1	15,331	Davis
.	.	a	0-2	13,040	.
1997/98	LC	h	0-4	4,175	.
.	.	a	0-2	6,041	.
1998/99	2	h	0-2	10,575	.
.	.	a	4-1	10,965	Pickering Payton Little(2)
1999/2000	2	h	1-0	11,328	Payton
.	.	a	2-2	15,354	Payton(2 1pen)
2002/03	1	h	2-1	14,244	Gnohere Papadopoulos
.	.	a	1-0	12,874	West
2003/04	1	a	2-1	14,876	May Chadwick
.	.	h	0-1	12,812	.
2004/05	C	h	2-2	12,981	Moore Blake(pen)
.	.	a	1-0	15,689	Cahill
2005/06	C	h	1-0	17,912	Akinbiyi
.	.	a	0-1	12,082	.
2006/07	C	a	1-0	12,247	Gray

Click HERE to see more results against Stoke since our first meeting in the inaugral league season of 1888/89.