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This double header of home games it was hoped would push us into the top six but the 3-0 defeat against Millwall on Saturday put paid to that. Only QPR and Norwich of the teams above us won so the damage was very limited and now we really do need that win.
Three points tonight will not see us move up the table in terms of position but it would leave us just one point behind Nottingham Forest in sixth place and only four points behind Swansea in third place.
It would really put us right in there and still with one game in hand. We need to get points in these games ahead of the big four fixtures still to be played against Swansea, Cardiff, Leeds and Nottingham Forest, the four teams occupying the play off places.
It's in our own hands as they say and Eddie Howe has said this is no time to panic. A win tonight would lift that gloom, panic and over reaction that set in on Saturday.
Coventry arrive at Turf Moor without Aidy Boothroyd and no matter which way you look at it that has to be good news. I don't like the man and I don't like his football.
Burnley central defender Clarke Carlisle played for Boothroyd at Watford and after he'd finished on the losing side against him at Coventry in November he wrote: " The difference in styles between the two sides was polar! I played under Aidy Boothroyd at Watford and experienced real success with the method, but when you are playing against it, it feels so anti-football!!
"Shelling fifty yard balls up to 6"5 striker Clive Platt in the hope of picking up the knock downs is real percentage football. By contrast, we tried to work the ball through the thirds and create an opening with movement and guile. This must sound like a really bitter rant because, after all, they won the game and that's all the Rothman's will show!"
Coventry won their next two games after beating Burnley and were fifth in the table but a slump set in and one win in sixteen games sees them in 19th place going into tonight's game.
Suspended Marlon King is their leading goalscorer with six goals. Just behind him, each with five, are Freddy Eastwood, Lukas Jutkiewicz and Gary McSheffrey.
Marlon King is currently serving a four match ban for his second red card of the season, tonight's will be the third game he's missed. Fellow striker Clive Platt remains a doubt because of a calf injury whilst they also have concerns over Martin Cranie with a hamstring problem.
Other players likely to be ruled out are Ben Turner and Lee Carsley.
Coventry lost 1-0 at home to Hull on Saturday. Their team for that game was: Kieren Westwood, Nathan Cameron, Richard Wood, Martin Cranie, Richard Keogh, David Bell, Sammy Clingan, Aron Gunnarsson, Freddy Eastwood, Gary McSheffrey, Lukas Jutkiewicz. Subs: Stephen O'Halloran, Roy O'Donovan, Michael Quirke, Carl Barker, Chris Hussey, Jordan Clarke, Josh Ruffles.
Reading some of the views following the defeat to Millwall I would suspect there have been calls for just about every member of the Burnley team to be dropped for tonight's game.
Thankfully that won't happen with Eddie Howe having backed his players and it would be no great surprise should we see the same starting line up tonight.
No injuries have been reported following Saturday so the Clarets will just be without the long term injury victims Chris McCann, Martin Paterson, Steven Thompson and Charlie Austin.
The team against Millwall was: Lee Grant, Tyrone Mears, Clarke Carlisle, Michael Duff, Danny Fox, Jack Cork, Dean Marney, Ross Wallace, Jay Rodriguez, Chris Eagles, Nathan Delfouneso. Subs: Brian Jensen, David Edgar, Andre Bikey, Graham Alexander, Marvin Bartley, Wade Elliott, Chris Iwelumo.
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The Wolves game had been a really enjoyable one but this never came close to matching it and in the end we had to settle for a point with a late equaliser from Chris Eagles.
Burnley had been the better team in the first half and had never looked in trouble, but right on half time a ball down the Coventry right eluded Stephen Jordan.
Even so the resulting cross should have been cut out but Leon Best, hiding behind a face mask, got to it to give the visitors a big surprise lead.
We stepped things up in the second half but didn't look as though we might get a goal. In a season of goals from substitutes we gave ourselves a chance by bringing three on at one.
It looked as though it was going to be a third home defeat in five games but right on time one of the subs Jay Rodriguez got up well to head down to another in Chris Eagles and Eagles finished left footed to earn us a point.
The teams were;
Burnley: Brian Jensen, Rhys Williams, Michael Duff, Steven Caldwell, Stephen Jordan (Kevin McDonald 71), Wade Elliott, Graham Alexander, Chris McCann, Robbie Blake (Chris Eagles 71), Steven Thompson (Jay Rodriguez 71), Martin Paterson. Subs not used: Diego Penny, Joey Gudjonsson.
Coventry: Keiren Westwood, Stephen Wright, Ben Turner, Scott Dann, Daniel Fox, Jordan Henderson, Aron Gunnarsson, Michael Doyle, David Bell (Freddy Eastwood 81), Clinton Morrison, Leon Best (Robbie Simpson 73). Subs not used: Andy Marshall, Marcus Hall, Lee Sawyer.
Previous 20 Seasons | |||||
Season | Div | Ven | Result | Att | Scorers |
1999/2000 | FAC | a | 0-3 | 22,774 | |
2001/02 | 1 | a | 2-0 | 16,849 | Taylor Little |
h | 1-0 | 18,751 | Taylor | ||
2002/03 | 1 | h | 3-1 | 13,470 | Blake(pen) Grant Davenport(og) |
a | 1-0 | 13,659 | Cox | ||
2003/04 | 1 | h | 1-2 | 10,358 | Blake |
a | 0-4 | 12,953 | |||
2004/05 | C | h | 2-2 | 10,919 | Blake(pen) Branch |
a | 2-0 | 13,236 | Oster Moore | ||
2005/06 | C | h | 4-0 | 11,683 | G O'Connor Thomas Akinbiyi(2) |
a | 0-1 | 19,641 | |||
2006/07 | C | a | 0-1 | 18,362 | |
h | 1-2 | 12,830 | McVeigh | ||
2007/08 | C | a | 2-1 | 17,347 | Akinbiyi Blake |
h | 2-0 | 9,779 | McCann Caldwell | ||
2008/09 | C | a | 3-1 | 14,621 | Duff Blake Eagles |
h | 1-1 | 14,595 | Eagles | ||
2010/11 | C | a | 0-1 | 14,432 | |