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What a recipe for disaster today is. Just look at the facts.
1. We are the only Championship club without an away win all season - only Accrington Stanley and Barnet in the entire Football League can equal that.
2. We haven't won on Boxing Day since beating Stoke 1-0 in 2005.
3. Barnsley haven't been beaten on Boxing Day since 2002.
4. We haven't won at Barnsley since 1932
5. We haven't won an away game on Boxing Day since beating Blackpool in 1972.
And just for good measure, Barnsley are just about the form team in this league with four wins and a draw in their last five games.
I look at those facts and wonder just what's the point in even setting off today. Most people have assumed a defeat even before the day but, despite all these ridiculous odds stacked against us, we are a team capable of going there and getting a result.
Having said that, we've done that before and been done by some appalling refereeing. Who can forget Kevin Lynch (1994/95), Iain Williamson (2006/07) or that nonsensical performance from Nigel Miller (2008/09)?
And even when the refereeing doesn't go against us (as in the Carling Cup last season) we lost two players to injury with both Brian Jensen and Martin Paterson stretchered off.
The simple fact is though, Burnley need a win and never more so an away win. I think the last time we got this far into a season without an away win was probably the 1979/80 season. On that occasion our only success on the road all season came on 29th December at Notts County, another place we don't have a good record.
Could today be the day? The odds are stacked against us but let's hope so.
Barnsley will be the first team we've met twice this season and they looked a poor, poor side back at the Turf in October when two goals from Chris Eagles, with one from the penalty spot, and one from Chris Iwelumo gave us a comfortable 3-0 win.
That result left us fourth in the table and Barnsley 16th but that's all changed and we are now above them by one place and only on goal difference. Whilst we've struggled for results since with only two wins, they have been improving with this latest good run.
They kicked off this latest impressive run of five games with successive away wins at Preston and Ipswich, their only successes on the road this season. They've followed that up with two wins and a draw at home. Portsmouth and Sheffield United were the teams beaten with Watford claiming a draw. Barnsley haven't conceded a goal in any of those three home games.
Adam Hammill is clearly the one to watch in the Barnsley side. He's scored seven of their goals this season and in the main they've been spectacular efforts. That could be a real concern for us today given the number of goals we've conceded recently from distance.
Barnsley boss Mark Robins will have to find a replacement today for striker Garry O'Connor. He's been on loan at Birmingham and the loan will be made permanent in a week's time. However, he's reached his 93 day maximum on the emergency loan and must now sit the games out until the permanent deal is completed.
That vacancy is very likely to be filled by former Claret Andy Gray who hasn't played since the win at Preston in early November. Others in contention for the place up front are Paul Hayes, currently on loan from Preston, and the wonderfully named Jeronimo Neumann.
Another former Claret Jay McEveley is currently out again with a knee injury and Luke Potter is their only other definite absentee, also with a knee problem.
Barnsley could line up: Luke Steele, Kieran Trippier, Jason Shackell, Stephen Foster, Bobby Hassell, Adam Hammill, Nathan Doyle, Hugo Colace, Jim O'Brien, Goran Lovre, Andy Gray. Subs: David Preece, Jacob Butterfield, Diego Arismendi, Jeronimo Neumann, Steven Bennett, Paul Hayes, Reuben Noble-Lazarus.
There's some good news for Burnley boss Brian Laws. Chris Eagles is fit again after missing out on the last two games because of a back injury and Danny Fox returns to the squad. Fox has been out for the last four games after sustaining an ankle injury in the home draw against Doncaster.
Martin Paterson was also injured in the Doncaster game, picking up a thigh problem, and he's touch and go for a return to Barnsley where, on his last two visits, he's scored twice and then been stretchered off.
Laws will certainly be hoping Paterson will be ready for a place on the bench at least. He struggled with injury in the early part of the season which led to him being left out and on his return got this latest injury in his second game back. There is no doubt Laws sees him as a first choice to start when fully fit.
I suspect today that Eagles will return immediately at the expense of Ross Wallace and that could be the only change to the starting eleven that kicked off against Leeds in the last game two weeks ago.
Burnley would then line up: Lee Grant, Tyrone Mears, Clarke Carlisle, Andre Bikey, Brian Easton, Jack Cork, Wade Elliott, Dean Marney, Jay Rodriguez, Chris Iwelumo, Chris Eagles. Subs from: Brian Jensen, David Edgar, Michael Duff, Danny Fox, Graham Alexander, Ross Wallace, Steven Thompson, Martin Paterson, John Guidetti.
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It was a night when we started the game much the better side and ended it in similar fashion, but it all went wrong in a ragged middle third when we conceded three goals and fell victim to one of the worst referees around in Nigel Miller.
Ade Akinbiyi came in for the suspended Steven Thompson, sent off two days earlier against Doncaster. It proved to be Ade's last start in Burnley colours.
Despite our good start to the game we fell behind to a Jonathan Macken goal against the run of play after a mistake by Clarke Carlisle and that signalled a change in the game. We lost all our previous poise and were suddenly second best.
Barnsley should have added a second but when they did, early in the second half, it was nothing short of a joke. Simon Whaley, another former Preston player, scored it but there was a clear handball and three players, including Whaley were so far offside it was untrue. All Miller had to do was discuss it with his assistant but this arrogant man believes he's above that and made a complete fool of himself by allowing the goal.
Burnley lost it completely and with that threw away another goal and at 3-0 it was another Barnsley defeat heading our way.
We brought on Martin Paterson and he had an inspirational cameo. He scored twice in four minutes and suddenly with 17 minutes to go it was game on. We should have got something, but this is Barnsley and we didn't. But we came ever so close.
The teams were;
Barnsley: Heinz Muller, Bobby Hassell, Stephen Foster, Dennis Souza, Rob Kozluk, Simon Whaley, Hugo Colace, Jamal Campbell-Ryce, Martin Devaney (Diego Leon 10, Marciano van Homoet 84), Kayode Odejayi (Michael Coulson 84), Jonathan Macken. Subs not used: Marceo Rigters, Miguel Mostto.
Burnley: Brian Jensen, Michael Duff (Jay Rodriguez 88), Clarke Carlisle, Steven Caldwell, Stephen Jordan, Graham Alexander, Chris Eagles, Joey Gudjonsson (Kevin McDonald 55), Chris McCann, Robbie Blake, Ade Akinbiyi (Martin Paterson 55). Subs not used: Diego Penny, Alan Mahon.
Previous 20 Seasons | |||||
Season | Div | Ven | Result | Att | Scorers |
1994/95 | 1 | h | 0-1 | 11,968 | . |
| . | . | a | 0-2 | 5,537 | . |
2000/01 | 1 | a | 0-1 | 18,725 | . |
| . | . | h | 2-1 | 15,380 | Johnrose Payton |
2001/02 | 1 | h | 3-3 | 14,690 | Morgan(og) Briscoe Payton(pen) |
| . | . | a | 1-1 | 14,411 | Taylor |
2005/06 | LC | h | 3-0 | 4,501 | Lowe Akinbiyi Spicer |
2006/07 | C | h | 4-2 | 10,304 | Harley Noel-Williams(3) |
| . | . | a | 0-1 | 12,842 | . |
2007/08 | C | a | 1-1 | 11,560 | Gray |
| . | . | h | 2-1 | 11,915 | Elliott Lafferty |
2008/09 | C | a | 2-3 | 10,678 | Paterson(2) |
| . | . | h | 1-2 | 16,580 | McCann |
2009/10 | LC | a | 2-3 | 5,270 | Fletcher Eagles |
2010/11 | C | h | 3-0 | 14,428 | Eagles(2 1pen) Iwelumo |