Burnley looking to keep leads against Leeds

There's more about last season's Turf Moor clash in the 'Last Time They Were Here' section but the fact remains that we've been in front in three of our last four games against Leeds and lost the lot. To make it even worse, their winning goals in those games have come after 85 minutes, 89 minutes and the last in the seventh minute of stoppage time.

Like Wolves on Saturday, they are not a team we have the best of records against. We've lost all four of the games since they returned to the Championship and we lost four of the six when we came up against each other in the Steve Cotterill era at Turf Moor, winning once at Elland Road in 2004 and at home two years later.

David Edgar - it's a clean slate

Over the years the record has hardly been better and we've only beaten them twice at home since that fantastic day in October 1968 when our young team beat Revie's Leeds 5-1. The first of them came on the day that Leader of the Opposition Edward Heath opened the Bob Lord Stand in 1974 and more recently that home win under Cotterill in 2006 - both were by a 2-1 scoreline.

We go into tonight's game having slowly moved up to 13th in the table. Other than in the opening week of the season we haven't been higher placed and it has come courtesy of three wins in four games including two home games that have both brought clean sheets.

It's left us in a position much closer to the play offs than the relegation places. Saturday's win has now taken us eight points clear of the bottom three but we are now only three points away from that top six.

A win tonight is guaranteed to take us into the top half of the table given that Leeds are one of three teams above us on goal difference.

It's a game David Edgar is looking forward to, even though he might have something of a battle to keep his place after starting in midfield. Chris McCann and Marvin Bartley could both be available again tonight but Edgar, who stepped in when McCann missed out, said: "I really enjoyed it. I've played there before and there have been times I've player there and not felt lost, but it's tough adapting to the position.

"But on Saturday I got to grips with it. There's a lot of ground to be covered there, up and back, defending and getting in their faces, especially with the game we want to play now, with pressing.

"If I'm chosen to play there again I'll love it and hopefully I'll do a job there. Everyone is fighting for their place again. It's a clean slate and you're just looking to impress and give 110 per cent and that's what the new manager is asking for.

"We've always had a good record on a Tuesday night at home. We seem to raise our game, which is good. Saturday's in the past now. We are playing a massive club and we want to leap frog Leeds in the league now. Three points would be massive to help us put a run together."

It does look as though manager Sean Dyche will have more players to select from. Both McCann and Bartley were close on Saturday and both could come into the reckoning. The only other doubt surrounded Ross Wallace who took a forearm smash in the jaw from Jermaine Pennant, but it looks as if he is also going to be available.

It's difficult, with the manager having been here for just a week, to try and second guess what he might do, but he'll select from Lee Grant, Kieran Trippier, Michael Duff, Jason Shackell, Ben Mee, David Edgar, Brian Stock, Ross Wallace, Dean Marney, Martin Paterson, Charlie Austin, Brian Jensen, Kevin Long, Danny Lafferty, Cameron Stewart, Junior Stanislas, Danny Ings, Sam Vokes, Chris McCann, Marvin Bartley.

The last time Neil Warnock brought a team to Burnley was in January of last year when QPR were sitting on top of the Championship and preparing for promotion to the Premier League, an experience that didn't last long for the manager who was quickly replaced by Mark Hughes.

He replaced Simon Grayson at Elland Road earlier this year and saw his side end last season in 14th place, one position below us and with one point less. This season they are right alongside us again, this time above us on goal difference.

Most of the news coming out of Elland Road has been that of the potential takeover. It hasn't happened yet which means the Leeds fans are still stuck with Ken Bates, the man who once claimed to be a Burnley fan when trying to buy his way into our club.

On the field, they've won five, drawn five and lost four of their league games so far and they also remain in the COCUP after wins against Shrewsbury, Oxford, Everton and Southampton.

Their last league win was at the beginning of October when they benefited from an appalling Darren Deadman decision to beat Barnsley with a penalty at home. They've drawn three and lost one since.

Away from home they've won twice, at Peterborough and Bristol City, and lost twice, at Blackpool and Cardiff.

They have in their side one of the league's leading goalscorers in Luciano Becchio. He's scored nine league goals, including three penalties, which means only Charlie Austin and Crystal Palace's Glenn Murray have scored more.

Becchio scored in their last game, a 2-2 draw at Brighton. He was only a substitute in that game but is expected to start tonight. The big doubt is defender Tom Lees. He suffered an eye injury at Brighton that lost him his sight temporarily. It is touch and go whether he will be fit.

Their team at Brighton was: 1. Paddy Kenny, 25: Samuel Byram, 4. Tom Lees (16. Danny Pugh), 5. Jason Pearce, 2. Lee Peltier, 14. Aidan White, 17. Michael Brown, 8. Rodolph Austin, 18. Michael Tonge, 21. El Hadji Diouf (19. David Norris), 11. Luke Varney (10. Luciano Becchio). Subs not used: 12. Jamie Ashdown, 7. Paul Green, 20. Andy Gray, 30. Ryan Hall.

Last Time They Were Here

Once again last season it was a case of Leeds coming from behind to win the game, a game they should never have won. It was a third successive defeat for the Clarets who were edging ever closer to the bottom three in the table.

We'd deserved the two previous defeats against Leicester and Bristol City but this one should never have been allowed to happen.

Jay Rodriguez gave us the lead

Ahead of the game, supporters of both clubs were able to say goodbye to a former manager and Burnley fans a former championship winning captain, as a minute's applause was observed following the death of Jimmy Adamson. Adamson would have enjoyed most of this game.

We started well and took a lead in ten minutes with a lot of credit to referee Scott Mathieson who played an excellent advantage. It ended with Kieran Trippier providing the perfect cross for Jay Rodriguez to head down and into the net past loan goalkeeper Alex McCarthy.

There was a big blow soon after when Charlie Austin went down with a serious shoulder injury. With over an hour to go Sam Vokes, just signed on loan from Wolves, was on as his replacement.

Leeds never really threatened to get back into the game but then we twice presented them with opportunities. Both were taken by Robert Snodgrass and yet again they'd gone home with the points.

Twice Snodgrass got the better of us and ridiculously another game was lost, this after dominating for at least 70 minutes of the game.

Another defeat in midweek followed and a week after this game we were 2-0 down at Hull and moving into the bottom three. Goals changed this game, and a week later goals certainly changed that game at Hull.

The teams were;

Burnley: Lee Grant, Kieran Trippier, Michael Duff, David Edgar, Brian Easton, Junior Stanislas (Zavon Hines 65), Marvin Bartley, Chris McCann, Keith Treacy, Charlie Austin (Sam Vokes 29), Jay Rodriguez. Subs not used: Jon Stewart, Andre Amougou, Dean Marney.

Leeds: Alex McCarthy,  Paul Connolly, Patrick Kisnorbo, Darren O'Dea (Tom Lees 82), Aiden White, Robert Snodgrass, Jonny Howson, Adam Clayton, Lloyd Sam, Ross McCormack (Ramon Nunez 59), Andy Keogh (Luciano Becchio 59). Subs not used: Alex Cairns, Michael Brown.

Previous Games against Leeds

Click HERE to see all previous results against Leeds