Clarets look to get that first home win

It's perhaps very appropriate that our visitors, in this particular week, are Middlesbrough. Last year former Burnley and 'Boro defender Gary Parkinson suffered a stroke that led to locked in syndrome.

That was on 7th September 2010 and our next two opponents a year ago were Preston at home followed by our first ever league visit to the Riverside at Middlesbrough.

Junior Stanislas - in the squad for the first time

This year, just one year on, we've been paired with Middlesbrough again with the news that Gary's wife Debbie will once again be at Turf Moor to make the half time draw.

It's a game where Burnley will be looking for their first home league win since we defeated the same side last April. Since then, at Turf Moor, we've played Portsmouth, Cardiff, Watford and Cardiff again with all four ending in draws, three of them 1-1.

We won just one league game after that last season - at Derby - and we've won just the one this season - at Derby so a win today would mean our last two home wins would be against Middlesbrough and our last two away wins against Derby.

That win at Derby will have given us a real confidence boost. Although we had to come from behind on the opening day against Watford we could well have got more than a point and we certainly should have done against Cardiff before they decided the way to stop us was to kick us all over Turf Moor.

Our previous away game had seen us turn in an awful performance at Crystal Palace so to go to Pride Park and deservedly beat a team that had a 100% record was a real tonic to take into the international break.

We hoped for some transfer activity in the following days. We got one in but sadly saw one go. It's a welcome to Junior Stanislas who should be in the Burnley squad today for the first time following his deadline day move from West Ham.

Sadly, as I list the players expected to be involved there will be no Wade Elliott. It will be a strange looking Burnley squad without Wade. He's started or come on as a substitute in 252 of 272 league games since signing for the Clarets with only ten missed since the start of the 2006/07 season. It really will be very strange not seeing the word ELLIOTT in the Burnley match day squad.

What of that match day squad? It almost picks itself. Stanislas will replace Elliott from the squad on duty at Derby whilst Marvin Bartley returns after serving a three match suspension following his red card at Crystal Palace.

I don't expect either Stanislas or Bartley to sign. I suspect both will be on the bench with Eddie Howe starting with the same eleven who kicked off at Pride Park two weeks ago. That will mean only three players who started against Middlesbrough last April - Brian Jensen, Dean Marney and Jay Rodriguez - will start today.

The Burnley team should be: Brian Jensen, Kieran Trippier, David Edgar, Ben Mee, Brian Easton, Ross Wallace, Dean Marney, Chris McCann, Keith Treacy, Charlie Austin, Jay Rodriguez. Subs from: Lee Grant, Andre Amougou, Marvin Bartley, Junior Stanislas, Zavon Hines, Alex MacDonald.

Our Opponents - with Robert Nichols

Saturday is a big day in Middlesbrough. The transporter bridge is almost 100 years old and today there is a rare opportunity for people to climb the bridge and enjoy views from 160ft above the River Tees.

I'm not certain when the bridge returned to the Tees but I do recall a few years ago they said Auf Wiedersehen Pet to it when it was sold to a Red Indian tribe in America, or maybe I should just watch less television.

Middlesbrough fans will, I'm sure, be giving that a miss and heading for Turf Moor in the hope of watching their team continue their excellent run on the road. Since the defeat last April at Burnley they've played five away games, all of which have been won.

They recorded wins at Hull and Cardiff before the end of last season, 4-2 and 3-0 respectively, with the latter ending Cardiff's last hopes of an automatic promotion, and this season have beaten both Leeds and Barnsley on the road whilst adding a Carling Cup success at Walsall.

Ahead of the game, Robert Nichol from our Championship partner site Fly Me To the Moon spoke to Middlesbrough boss Tony Mowbray. Recalling that last away defeat at Turf Moor he asked Mowbray if they could keep that away run going.

Mowbray told him: "I hope so, and yet if anything the international break came at not a good time for us I suppose. We would have liked to have kept the form going and yet let's hope we can hit the ground running straight on the back end of it again.

"I think what the players will do is take confidence of the victories on the road this season into the game. For many teams, including us, it has been harder to win at home than away from home.

"Let's hope Burnley find it a difficult fixture at the weekend and yet they have got some good players that can hurt most teams. Rodriguez and Wallace, even their right back Trippier is very talented and attack minded. Let's wait and see how we get on."

When Robert suggested to him that Turf Moor is a ground that can generate a good atmosphere, Mowbray added :"I think it is one of those ground, an old wooden ground that does help create a good atmosphere.

"The away supporters under the roof there can make a good atmosphere and a good noise and I'm sure that Boro fans will make a good noise. Hopefully we can try and find a performance that warrants the support."

Mowbray is checking on two players  ahead of the game. Barry Robson is rated at 50/50 after returning from Scotland duty with a thigh injury. Robson has been at Middlesbrough since January 2010 when Gordon Strachan signed him from Celtic, leaving our constant chasing of him from both Dundee United and Celtic as a distant memory.

He's been in good form for Boro and would be considered a big miss if he doesn't make it, as will Scott McDonald but they are hopeful he'll be fit enough to partner seven goal Marvin Emnes up front. Emnes is proving to be the real star now and just think they were ready to offload him to Swansea early last season when he went to the Welsh club on loan. Emnes has, this week, been voted the Championship Player of the Month for August.

Interestingly, Middlesbrough had no goalkeeper on the bench for their last league game against Coventry, but it is expected former Claret Danny Coyne will take his place there today.

Should Robson make it then they are very likely to line up: Carl Ikeme, Tony McMahon, Matthew Bates, Stephen McManus,  Nicky Bailey, Rhys Williams, Julio Arca, Joe Bennett, Barry Robson, Marvin Emnes, Scott McDonald. Subs from: Seb Hines, Justin Hoyte, Tarmo Kink, Richard Smallwood, Malaury Martin, Faris Haroun, Danny Coyne.

Last Time They Were Here

Each season will provide its disappointing performances and its exceptional performances and Burnley's home game against Middlesbrough in April 2011 was definitely in the second of those two categories.

Wade Elliott - scored the second

We went into the game having beaten Premier League elect Swansea on the Saturday, that having ended a run of just one point from the previous six games, a run that had left our play off hopes in tatters, but we really found our form here in no uncertain terms with an exhilarating first half performance that saw us go in at half time with a 3-0 lead.

The game came just a couple of days after Stoke's annihilation of Bolton in the FA Cup semi-final and the Burnley fans were taunting a poor Boro side with chants of 'Are you Bolton in disguise?' as the rampant Clarets stormed into that three goal lead.

The football in previous games had been very slow but here we found a tempo that Boro struggled with and it was no surprise when the first goal came. It was from a corner on the right that Danny Fox hit in low. Chris Eagles stepped over it for Jay Rodriguez to finish.

That was midway through the first half and the second came within a minute. Jay went on a run from the half way line before laying it off to Wade Elliott to his right. Elliott stepped inside the defender, got a good touch with his left before hitting a rising drive into the top corner with his right.

Just eight minutes from half time it was three and, as with the first, it came from a right wing corner taken by Fox. This time he lifted it  to the far post where Michael Duff headed home for his first goal since 'Bad Beat Bob' night at Coventry in 2008, before having an argument with the advertising hoardings as he celebrated.

The only disappointments in the second half were the fact that we didn't add any more goals and Middlesbrough did pull one back. That came when Andrew Taylor converted a rebound after former loan player Rhys Williams had hit the post.

But all in all this was a memorable performance from a Burnley team that looks a lot different to the one that will play today.

The teams were;

Burnley: Brian Jensen, Tyrone Mears, Michael Duff, Andre Bikey (Clarke Carlisle 71), Danny Fox, Wade Elliott, Jack Cork, Dean Marney (Graham Alexander 90), Chris Eagles (Nathan Delfouneso 76), Jay Rodriguez, Chris Iwelumo. Subs not used: Lee Grant, Shane Duffy, Ross Wallace, Steven Thompson.

Middlesbrough: Paul Smith, Tony McMahon (Leroy Lita 60), Matthew Bates, Stephen McManus, Joe Bennett, Barry Robson (Tarmo Kink 59), Rhys Williams, Kevin Thomson (Smallwood 60), Julio Arca, Andrew Taylor, Scott McDonald. Subs not used: Danny Coyne, Andre Davies, Willo Flood, Andy Halliday.

Previous Games against Middlesbrough

Click HERE to see all previous results against Middlesbrough