A top flight return to The Hawthorns

February 1971 it was, that last time. We'd drawn 1-1 at home against them earlier in the season with Steve Kindon scoring the goal. Exactly one year before that goal the same player had scored in a 1-0 win at the Hawthorns but the 1971 game ended in a 1-0 defeat.

Our team that day on our last top flight visit was: Tony Waiters, John Angus, Les Latcham, Arthur Bellamy, Colin Waldron, Martin Dobson, Frank Casper (Mick Docherty), Ralph Coates, Eric Probert, Steve Kindon.

Until the early part of this millennium we hardly met. It was the 1992/93 season before we were again in the same division. That was in the old third division and two years later we were both in the second division.

Having won promotion in 2000 we were both in what is now the Championship for five of the first eight seasons. They went up in 2008, we swapped places in 2009 and then swapped back in 2010, similar to what had happened in the early seventies.

Steven Reid has been blown away by the whole atmosphere at Burnley

Now we go back to what is one of my favourite grounds in English football. I'm not so sure why. I've only seen us win their twice whilst seeing us lose a League Cup semi-final replay against Swindon just over a year I watched as West Brom put eight goals past us, the worst I've ever seen from a Burnley team.

It remains one I look forward to and that is likely to be the case for one our players. Steven Reid joined us from West Brom in the summer after over four years with them during which time he played in 82 Premier League games, scoring twice.

Reid said: "I'm looking forward to going back to the Hawthorns and seeing a few of the old faces. A lot of the lads are still there and it's going to be good to see them and a few of the staff as well. It was one of the first games I looked for when the fixtures came out."

Reid is now very much a Claret now and has made substitute appearances late in the last two home games. He's settled into life at Turf Moor well.

"Watching from afar I had a bit of an interest in the club last season as I know the manager from my time alongside him at Millwall," he said but now having been part of Dyche's group for three months he added: "I have been blown away by the whole atmosphere around the club, if I'm honest.

"Everyone is pulling in the same direction and the character of the boys and the work ethic that goes on every day have been first class. It's been a joy to be involved in that environment for the first three months..

"If we are going to keep that, which we are, I'm sure we've got a great chance this season."

The group have received some good news this week on two strikers. Sam Vokes has received a very good report from the surgeon who operated on him. He's some way away yet but things are positive.

His goalscoring partner of last season Danny Ings has also received good news on his hamstring injury. He won't be fit for tomorrow but there is a chance he could be ready to make a return at Leicester last season where he scored our goal a year ago in a 1-1 draw.

I'd initially thought we might have the same team out as drew 0-0 against Sunderland; that was until Sean Dyche broke the news on some further injuries yesterday. We knew about David Jones; he came off last week with a thigh injury, but there had been nothing on his midfield partner Dean Marney (hamstring) and Kieran Trippier (groin).

I don't think Trippier will be missing but if he is then Reid would be the likely candidate to step in there. Should either or both of Marney and Jones not make it then there are options. Last week we brought on Ross Wallace with Scott Arfield moving into the middle and that is the most likely option. Another would be to give Nathaniel Chalobah a debut. He didn't make the squad last week with Dyche confirming he still needed time to get used to our physical training.

Matt Taylor remains out with an Achilles injury that Dyche has confirmed is not a serious one.

Should both Marney and Jones be fit, as we all hope, I think we'll line up: Tom Heaton, Kieran Trippier, Michael Duff, Jason Shackell, Ben Mee, Scott Arfield, Dean Marney, David Jones, George Boyd, Marvin Sordell, Lukas Jutkiewicz. Subs from: Matt Gilks, Steven Reid, Michael Keane, Stephen Ward, Nathaniel Chalobah, Ross Wallace, Michael Kightly, Ashley Barnes.

After the draw against Sunderland last Saturday we moved out of the bottom three for just short of a day. One day later we dropped two places with West Brom and Crystal Palace winning at Spurs and Everton respectively.

It game West Brom a first Premier League win of the season which has moved them up to 17th with five points from five games. They'd previously picked up points from a home draw against Sunderland and an away point at Southampton  before losing at Swansea and at home to Everton.

In between all that they have progressed in the Capital One Cup with two home victories. They beat Oxford 7-6 on penalties after a 1-1 draw and four days ago came from two goals behind to beat Hull 3-2.

Head coach Alan Irvine made eleven changes for the Hull game with the Saido Berahino the only player to start at Spurs playing any part; he came on as a substitute against Hull for the last half hour.

Irvine has admitted that the cup win has given him a headache with players such as Sebastian Bianco, Claudio Yacob, Liam O'Neill and Cristian Gamboa all playing well in the cup win as well as Gareth McAuley, Youssoff Mulumbu and Jonas Olsson all having good games.

Two players who featured in the cup win are being monitored after picking up knocks. Big summer signing Brown Ideye limped off and Victor Anichebe is still struggling as he returns from a hernia operation. Former Claret Chris Baird remains doubtful because of illness.

West Brom's team at Spurs was: Ben Foster, Andre Wisdom, Craig Dawson, Joleon Lescott, Sebastien Pocognoli, Graeme Dorrans, James Morrison, Craig Gardner, Chris Brunt, Stephane Sessegnon, Saido Berahino. Subs: Boaz Myhill, Chris Baird, Gareth McAuley, Youssoff Mulumbu, Cristian Gamboa, Brown Ideye, Victor Anichebe.

Last Time We Were There

The last time the Clarets played at the Hawthorns was at the end of January 2009 in what was the only occasion the two clubs have met in either of the two major cup competitions. We drew the game, which was three days after the Tottenham heartbreak, 2-2 with a Graham Alexander penalty and a last minute equaliser from Martin Paterson, before winning the replay 3-2 with goals from Wade Elliott and Steven Thompson(2).

Our last league visit had come 51 weeks earlier just as the transfer window had closed with Owen Coyle adding two exciting signings to his squad, the vastly experienced Andrew Cole and Arsenal youngster Mark Randall.

James O'Connor gave us the lead

We went into the game in 8th place in the table on 43 points. West Brom were top with eight points more and heading for a return to the Premier League after a two year absence.

Our three previous games had seen a return to form with three successive wins since the New Year's Day debacle at Blackpool and the FA Cup loss at home to Arsenal.

We weren't able to make it four wins and didn't even get a point. We didn't deserve one although we didn't play badly; it was more a case of West Brom playing very well and being the better side and one I described in my report as being the best in the division.

It was an unchanged side named by Coyle with the two new boys both on the bench and both set to make debuts as substitutes.

I said we needed to keep things tight in the opening ten minutes. In the previous season we were two down and on the way to defeat by ten past three. We didn't heed my advice and in just the third minute we took the lead through James O'Connor.

We won a free kick on the right; Robbie Blake took it for David Unsworth to head on to O'Connor who nipped in to score.

It might have been better too with both Wade Elliott and Chris McCann coming close, but West Brom came storming back. They hit the bar and missed two very good chances.

When the equaliser came it shouldn't have done. Our third loan player, Stanislav Varga was shepherding the ball out but was pushed over the touchline by Roman Bednar. The inept Mike Pike was referee; he gave a corner, Jensen came, stopped, came again and stopped again and Bostjan Cesar scored.

It was 1-1 at half time but there was no denying West Brom who won it on the hour when Bednar got above Unsworth to head home. Coyle made changes but things might have been even worse when Harley fouled Bednar and Pike, this time correctly, pointed to the spot. Robert Koren took it but Jensen saved well to his left.

We gave it a real go in the closing stages but West Brom held on and might have just got a third. It had been a good game between two good teams with the best team winning the game.

The teams were;

West Brom: Dean Kiely, Carl Hoefkens, Martin Albrechtsen, Bostjan Cesar, Paul Robinson, Zoltan Gera, Robert Koren, Jonathan Greening, James Morrison, Kevin Phillips (Craig Beattie 61), Roman Bednar (Filipe Teixeira 76). Subs not used: Michal Danek, Leon Barnett, Chris Brunt.

Burnley: Brian Jensen, Graham Alexander, Stanislav Varga, David Unsworth, Jon Harley, Wade Elliott, James O'Connor, Joey Gudjonsson (John Spicer 81), Chris McCann (Mark Randall 70), Robbie Blake, Ade Akinbiyi (Andrew Cole 61). Subs not used: Gabor Kiraly, Steven Caldwell.

Previous Games against West Brom

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