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We've certainly had to do some travelling in search of this first away win. We've already visited Norwich's East Anglian rivals Ipswich, we've been to South Wales and to London on three separate occasions.
And now Norwich - a trip that always seems to take forever on those never ending roads which will almost certainly see us held up by tractors at some point.
We are visiting a Norwich side that we've beaten twice at Carrow Road in the last decade. Goals from Kevin Ball, Gareth Taylor and Ian Moore gave us a 3-2 win there in the 2000/01 season and six seasons later it was James O'Connor, Andy Gray twice and Alan Mahon on the scoresheet as we ended Nigel Worthington's time as manager with a 4-1 win.
Another win would be brilliant today simply because this lack of an away win is something I refer to here now ahead of each away game and the longer it goes on the worse it will get. It's costing us a place right up there aiming for promotion right now and the sooner we can turn those away draws into wins the better things will be.
As we headed for the Premier League in May 2009 so Norwich were facing life in League One and a first season out of the top two divisions since the 1959/60 season when Burnley were becoming champions of England.
It's fair to say their return to the lower divisions got off to a sensational start. They were full of confidence under manager Bryan Gunn as the season kicked off at home to Colchester. By the full time whistle they were shell shocked after losing the game 7-1 and incredibly the manager was sacked just one game into the season.
I suppose there was no better choice than the man who had engineered the defeat and they quickly installed Colchester boss Paul Lambert. Things didn't improve too much initially, with only two of the next eight league games won, but they soon got things going and by the end of the season had just about walked it to promotion. They lost on the last day of the season against Carlisle but it hardly mattered and they finished nine points clear of second place Leeds.
Lambert was busy during the summer and he made a number of astute signings including Simon Jackson from Gillingham, Coventry's Elliott Ward and Andrew Surman, the former Southampton player, from Wolves.
They've made a good start and are currently in fifth place with two points more than Burnley. And they've done three times what we've failed to do and that's win away. Their successes on the road have come at Scunthorpe, Preston and Bristol City.
What was thought to be a season of consolidation could now be a push to get a return to the Premier League where they last played in the 2004/05 season.
Paul Lambert is without long term injury victims Stephen Hughes, Andrew Surman, Michael Nelson, and Zak Whitbread with Adam Drury also ruled out as he recovers from a calf strain.
But there's good news for the Norwich boss with both Grant Holt and Wes Hoolahan passed fit. Both were injured in last week's defeat at Cardiff, Holt collecting a knock to his ankle and Hoolahan a facial injury, but neither have had any problems and will both be in the team today.
Despite the defeat at Cardiff it is expected that Lambert will select a side very similar and their team last week was: John Ruddy, Russell Martin, Leon Barnett, Elliott Ward, Steven Smith, Wes Hoolahan, Andrew Crofts, Korey Smith, Simon Lappin, Grant Holt, Simeon Jackson. Subs: Declan Rudd, Mathew Gill, David Fox, Chris Martin, Oli Johnson, Jens Berthel Askou, Anthony McNamee.
Danny Fox, Wade Elliott, Andre Bikey, Jack Cork, David Edgar and Brian Easton were all laid low last week with a bug with two of them managing to start in the draw at QPR. They've all recovered now, as has Martin Paterson who was a late sufferer, and, Chris McCann apart, it is a fully fit squad that travels to Carrow Road.
I think the major decisions facing Brian Laws centre on Bikey and Cork and whether to bring either or both of them back into the side. Should Bikey return then Michael Duff would miss out whilst Graham Alexander would be the one likely to stand down should Cork come back in.
Cork looks the more likely and I think he will return although Bikey might just have to settle for a place on the bench after the two central defenders did so well.
If so we could line up: Lee Grant, Tyrone Mears, Michael Duff, Clarke Carlisle, Danny Fox, Jack Cork, Wade Elliott, Dean Marney, Chris Eagles, Chris Iwelumo, Jay Rodriguez. Subs from: Brian Jensen, David Edgar, Leon Cort, Andre Bikey, Brian Easton, Graham Alexander, Ross Wallace, Steven Thompson, Martin Paterson.
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Unfortunately we chose this day to turn in one of our worst performances of the season and, although we came close to winning it in the end, we had to be thankful for the point we did get in a 1-1 draw courtesy of a goal from Steven Thompson that equalised Jamie Cureton's goal for Norwich.
We made a very disappointing and lethargic start. We didn't particularly look up for it either on or off the pitch. The play from Burnley, against it has to be said a poor looking Norwich side, was laboured and there was no sign of any encouragement from the bench where manager and staff remained rooted to the seats in the dug out.
With 20 minutes gone, a low ball into our box from Mark Fotheringham was met by Jamie Cureton and he gave Brian Jensen no chance. It would have been worse too but for a superb stop from Jensen soon after. It was one of a number of outstanding saves he made.
Another Norwich goal was beginning to look likely but then, out of the blue, we put a good move together and we were level. Rhys Williams and Robbie Blake linked up really well down the right before Blake played a 1-2 with Martin Paterson before shooting.
David Marshall couldn't hold Robbie's shot and there was Thompson to score from close range. We were level, hardly deserving to be, but Norwich should have gone back in front almost immediately but thankfully they missed the easiest chance of the afternoon.
We made changes in the second half, but to no avail as the performance failed to improve and we managed to get to the ninety minutes with the scores still level at 1-1 and what was going to be a very good point for us given the performance.
Then, in stoppage time, we got ourselves two outstanding chances to win the game. Chris Eagles set up Paterson but the striker didn't react quickly enough and then, in the last minute of stoppage time, Eagles broke through and looked a certain scorer but blasted his shot high over the bar.
A draw was more than we deserved, a win would have been almost daylight robbery.
The teams were;
Norwich: David Marshall, Jon Otsemobor, Gary Doherty, Jason Shackell, Jonathan Grounds, Lee Croft, Mark Fotheringham, Sammy Clingan, Wes Hoolahan (Ryan Bertrand 83), Carl Cort (Chris Killen 68), Jamie Cureton (Luke Daley 78). Subs not used: Stuart Nelson, Darel Russell.
Burnley: Brian Jensen, Rhys Williams, Michael Duff, Steven Caldwell, Stephen Jordan, Graham Alexander, Wade Elliott (Chris Eagles 62), Chris McCann, Robbie Blake (Kevin McDonald 63), Steven Thompson (Jay Rodriguez 82), Martin Paterson. Subs not used: Diego Penny, Joey Gudjonsson.
Previous 20 Seasons | |||||
Season | Div | Ven | Result | Att | Scorers |
2000/01 | 1 | h | 2-0 | 15,017 | Payton Davis |
| . | . | a | 3-2 | 17,507 | Ball Taylor Moore |
2001/02 | 1 | a | 1-2 | 19,849 | Armstrong |
| . | . | h | 1-1 | 14,679 | Taylor |
2002/03 | 1 | h | 2-0 | 16,282 | McGregor Little |
. | . | a | 0-2 | 20,026 | . |
2003/04 | 1 | a | 0-2 | 16,407 | . |
| . | . | h | 3-5 | 12,417 | Wood May Blake |
2005/06 | C | a | 1-2 | 25,204 | Safri(og) |
| . | . | h | 2-0 | 11,938 | Gray Branch |
2006/07 | C | a | 4-1 | 24,717 | J O'Connor Gray(2) Mahon |
| . | . | h | 3-0 | 9,681 | Akinbiyi Gray Elliott |
2007/08 | C | h | 2-1 | 10,133 | Blake Gray(pen) |
. | . | a | 0-2 | 24,049 | . |
2008/09 | C | h | 2-0 | 11,353 | Eagles(2) |
| . | . | a | 1-1 | 24,363 | Thompson |