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When the Clarets visited Ashton Gate in September we were playing against the only unbeaten side in the league. Although they can no longer boast that, and have been beaten five times, they are still riding high in the division and are by some distance the best of the three promoted clubs.
Currently they sit in fourth place just three points behind leaders West Brom and have seven points more than the Clarets, yet interestingly had we beaten QPR just over two weeks ago we would have gone above them.
They had something of a hiccup in November. They failed to win any of their five games and collected just two points from a couple of draws. Some thought it was the sign that the momentum following promotion had waned but they've come storming back this month, winning four out of five before going down to leaders West Brom on Saturday. Had they won that one they would have been joint top.
Manager Gary Johnson hasn't made any changes to his squad in terms of loan signings since we played them earlier in the season on a day when his most recent acquisition at the time Darren Byfield had an impact. With the Clarets leading 1-0 he scored twice and looked to have won it for Bristol City before that late stoppage time overhead kick from Clarke Carlisle gave us a deserved point.
Match previews for home games have been getting somewhat predictable, so this time I'm not going to say it is time we won at home. It would be nice though and would give us a boost going into 2008 and our trip to the half a ground at Blackpool.
Michael McIndoe will know Turf Moor well enough, last season he netted twice at the Jimmy McIlroy end of the ground to give Barnsley a 2-0 lead on the night when Gifton Noel-Williams came on to grab a hat trick and give us a 4-2 win.
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The Edinburgh born left winger started his career with Luton but was released and signed for Conference side Hereford in 2000. He was there for just the one year before moving to Yeovil, also at the time in the Conference signed by his current boss Johnson. He was with the Huish Park club for two years and was in the team that won promotion to the Football League in 2003 but moved on again at the end of that season to Doncaster who had come up into the league with Yeovil.
It was with Doncaster that he really came to prominence through yet another promotion and a couple of good cup runs. Bigger clubs were starting to show interest and he spent a short time on loan with Derby in the 2005/06 season, his third with Doncaster.
He was always going to move on at the end of that season but it was a surprise that he chose Barnsley. However, he was only with them for a few months and then signed on loan for Wolves, making the move a permanent one in January of this year. He helped Wolves to the play offs but again a surprise move, leaving in the summer for Bristol City.
He's been a regular in the Ashton Gate side this season and will prove a tricky customer especially with the Clarets having no recognised right back available because of Graham Alexander's suspension.
Poor Gary Johnson, he's bemoaning the fact that his side has been hit with injuries and suspensions. Yes he'll be without central defender Louis Carey (achilles injury) and yes he'll be without central defender Liam Fontaine (suspended) but apart from that he looks to have just about a full squad to select from.
Carey was injured in the win over Barnsley last Saturday whilst Fontaine, who scored his first ever goal in November forcing the manager to bare his backside in Burton's window, picked up a fifth yellow card in the same game.
Loan player Tamas Vasko will come in for Fontaine whilst there is likely to be one other change from the side beaten on Boxing Day by leaders West Brom. Darren Byfield, who scored after coming on as a substitute, is expected to be named ahead of Enoch Showunmi.
Bristol City's team should be: Adriano Basso, Bradley Orr, Jamie McCombe, Tamas Vasko, Jamie McAllister, Ivan Sproule, Marvin Elliott, Lee Johnson, Michael McIndoe, Lee Trundle, Darren Byfield. Subs: Chris Weale, Christian Ribeiro, Cole Skuse, David Noble, Enoch Showunmi.
As I see it we might just have fifteen full time professional players available to us for this game, and that includes Garreth O'Connor who hasn't played all season and 18-year-old Jay Rodriguez who has no first team experience at all.
Definitely out are Michael Duff and Besart Berisha (long term injuries) whilst Andy Gray and Alan Mahon are rated doubtful with ankle and hamstring injuries respectively.
That reduces our squad to 19 and add to that the fact that Graham Alexander, Joey Gudjonsson, Chris McCann and John Spicer are all ruled out with suspension it means Owen Coyle is down to the bare bones.
Should neither Gray nor Mahon make it then Coyle could go Ternent style and not bother having five subs, or Cotterill style and put his coach (or even himself) on the bench, or he could include one of the youngsters from the youth team with Adam Kay or Dean Stott being favourite.
At least once this game is over we can start getting players back in with Alexander and McCann both available again.
We could line up: Gabor Kiraly, Clarke Carlisle, Steven Caldwell, David Unsworth, Stephen Jordan, Wade Elliott, James O'Connor, Jon Harley, Kyle Lafferty, Ade Akinbiyi, Robbie Blake. Subs from: Brian Jensen, Garreth O'Connor, Steve Jones, Jay Rodriguez, Dean Stott, Adam Kay.
Too many Cook(e)s definitely spoiled it for a Bristol City managed by Tony Pulis the last time they were at Burnley as Paul Cook and Andy Cooke both scored in a 2-0 win for the Clarets as we got back to winning ways at home.
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We'd ended a run of four games without a win with a 1-0 win at Cambridge courtesy of a Cooke goal but it was the one without the E on the end who gave us an early lead in this encounter with a superb strike at the Jimmy McIlroy end from all of thirty yards.
The first half saw some excellent football and there was more excitement to come at half time. Forty years earlier Burnley were on their way to the Football League Championship but for one player there was to be no winners' medal. Bobby Seith left the club after a fall out with chairman Bob Lord and was refused a medal. Now, finally Seith was back at Turf Moor receiving a special medal from the current chairman Barry Kilby.
He walked round the pitch perimeter to solid applause afterwards, as did the half time draw guests John Deary and John Pender, two players who had been involved in both of our previous two promotions.
Burnley continued to play some good football in the second half and it was no surprise when we doubled our lead on the hour through Cooke.
That was the end of the scoring and Ternent run the clock down by making use of his substitute with Graham Branch, Micky Mellon and then Ronnie Jepson all coming on as the Clarets won comfortably.
The teams were;
Burnley: Paul Crichton, Dean West, Steve Davis, Mitchell Thomas, Paul Smith, Glen Little, John Mullin (Micky Mellon 82), Lenny Johnrose, Paul Cook (Ronnie Jepson 84), Andy Cooke (Graham Branch 73), Andy Payton. Subs not used: Chris Brass, Alan Lee.
Bristol City: Steve Phillips, Jim Brennan, Vilmos Sebok (Greg Goodridge 62), Shaun Taylor, Steve Jones (Tony Thorpe 67), Brian Tinnion, Paul Mortimer, Carl Hutchings, Peter Beadle (Steve Torpey 67), Gerard Lavin, Scott Murray. Subs not used: Mickey Bell, Ivan Testemitanu.
Previous 20 Seasons | |||||
Season | Div | Ven | Result | Att | Scorers |
1994/95 | 1 | h | 1-1 | 11,067 | Robinson |
| . | . | a | 1-1 | 6,717 | Eyres |
1995/96 | 2 | h | 0-0 | 9,327 | . |
| . | . | a | 1-0 | 6,612 | Nogan |
1996/97 | 2 | h | 2-3 | 9,538 | Gleghorn Weller |
| . | . | a | 1-2 | 10,013 | Smith |
1997/98 | 2 | a | 1-3 | 11,136 | Barnes |
| . | . | h | 1-0 | 10,600 | Payton(pen) |
1999/2000 | 2 | a | 0-0 | 11,510 | . |
| . | . | h | 2-0 | 10,175 | Cook Cooke |
2007/08 | C | a | 2-2 | 14,079 | Gray Carlisle |
