Clarets return to the Turf and it's Leeds

It seems a long time since we travelled to Elland Road to face today's opponents. We won 2-1 that day with goals from Scott Arfield and Sam Vokes to move into the automatic promotion places in the Championship for the first time.

Since then we've dropped out on two occasions, the last time for three weeks in January and February, but having returned home with four points from the much awaited win at Blackburn and then Wednesday's draw at Birmingham, we sit eight points ahead of third place Derby and a further two points in front of QPR who do have a game in hand.

It's a healthy position to be in but we still have a lot to do in our remaining eleven games this season. I've lost count of the number of times I've been asked as to how many points I'll think we'll need; I've no idea what the answer is but I've adopted the 'Dyche mantra' now and just say we're going one game at a time.

Kieran Trippier taking it game by game

It was certainly good news to see both central defenders score in the last two games, as well as Dean Marney finding the net at Birmingham for a third time in just a few weeks. Only this week I heard concerns from one fan who suggested we were too reliant on goals from Danny Ings and Sam Vokes.

I don't think we have been too reliant on them; I think they've both just been so prolific but when needed other players have come up with the goods. Look back at the results. It's not just those three but Keith Treacy, Junior Stanislas and Michael Kightly have all scored match winning or point winning goals this season and Scott Arfield has chipped in with five in the league.

"We're looking tired," someone else told me. That came out of the box again at St. Andrew's for no other reason than they scored a late equaliser. We maybe didn't defend as well as we can over the ninety minutes at St. Andrew's but for the life of me I can't contribute that to tiredness.

That news must have filtered through because right-back Kieran Trippier has come out and rejected any such notion. "Personally, I don't feel tired and I don't think any of the lads do. We had a good recovery day (after the game at Birmingham) and we're all as fit as ever and getting ready for Leeds.

"I think the busy schedule goes in our favour. When we play teams we look at our fitness stats compared to the opposition and I think we run all over them and it will be no different at the weekend.

"We take it game by game. We all enjoyed the one last Sunday, but that's gone out of our minds now as has the match against Birmingham on Wednesday night. We recovered well and then we have a nice session today (Friday) and we're all looking forward to Saturday."

The big question is whether Danny Ings will be looking forward to Saturday. He was forced off with an ankle injury a quarter of an hour from the end at Birmingham and when he was seen going down the touchline at the final whistle on crutches there was panic in the stands.

Ings, himself, quickly confirmed there was nothing serious and the only question seems to surround whether he will have recovered for today's game or not. Possibly the fact that it was Wednesday and not Tuesday, giving him one day less to recover, could be significant.

Manager Sean Dyche hasn't ruled him out but it may be that he will be missing today, for only the second time this season. Last time we had no forward replacement, for the home game against Watford; this time we have Ashley Barnes to bring in and he equipped himself very well on Wednesday in that last period.

I've not received any firm information in this one but I suspect we'll go into today's game without Danny. If so, I don't expect any further changes. Wednesday saw the return of Ross Wallace who came in for Michael Kightly and I would think Wallace, today, will get his first home start since the Yeovil game back in August.

Our likely team is: Tom Heaton, Kieran Trippier, Michael Duff, Jason Shackell, Ben Mee, Ross Wallace, Dean Marney, David Jones, Scott Arfield, Ashley Barnes, Sam Vokes. Subs: Alex Cisak, Kevin Long, Danny Lafferty, David Edgar, Junior Stanislas, Michael Kightly, Keith Treacy.

Our opponents Leeds really are the wounded animal right now and we really do have to be very wary of any reaction from them.

Off the field the club is in some turmoil again as they await news from the Football League as to whether Massimo Cellino can go ahead and purchase 75% of the club for a reported £25 million. He's already loaned the club a figure believed to be close to £10 million but has now said there will be no more until everything is sorted out one way or the other.

"It has been a black home and things cannot carry on like this," Cellino told the Yorkshire Post this week. "I have to wait for the decision of the Football League before I put any more money in."

That means GFH Capital remain in full control for now but director David Haigh this week rubbished any suggestions that the club were heading towards administration.

On the field they've had a bad week at home. Bolton scored five last Saturday with the Leeds reply coming in stoppage time. Tuesday's game against manager Brian McDermott's former club Reading ended with a more respectable looking 4-2 defeat but with an hour gone they were 4-0 down.

You would suspect that McDermott might make some changes to Tuesday's team but the only news coming out of Elland Road is that Jimmy Kebe, who is on loan from Crystal Palace, will again be missing because of a virus.

Other than that there are no new injury concerns and players such as defenders Stephen Warnock, Lee Peltier and Scott Wootton, along with our former loan player Cameron Stewart, will all be hoping for recalls.

The Leeds team on Tuesday was: Jack Butland, Tom Lees, Marius Zaliukas (Matt Smith), Jason Pearce, Sam Byram, Danny Pugh, Luke Murphy, Alex Mowatt, Rodolph Austin, Ross McCormack, Connor Wickham. Subs not used: Alex Cairns, Scott Wootton, Michael Brown, Cameron Stewart, Dominic Poleon, Noel Hunt. 

Last Time They Were Here

Burnley's home game against Leeds last season came very early in the Sean Dyche era, in fact his second game in charge of the Clarets three days after he'd started with a 2-0 home win against Wolves.

Dyche made his first ever team change. Chris McCann had missed the Wolves game but, fit again, was recalled with David Edgar dropping to the bench.

Charlie Austin headed home the 83rd minute winner

This wasn't a classic and at times you did wonder whether we were going to see  a goal, but Burnley were the better side and this despite Neil Warnock, then boss at Leeds, claiming they were mugged when Charlie Austin scored the only goal of the game seven minutes from time.

We'd been much the better team in the first half and Paddy Kenny was much the busier goalkeeper, making good saves to deny all of Ross Wallace, Dean Marney and Martin Paterson who had scored the first goal for Dyche in the Wolves win.

Leeds had hardly threatened and we certainly deserved more than a 0-0 soreline at half time. It was the first goalless first half seen at the Turf all season where previously goals had been flying in at both ends.

The early stages of the second half certainly went the way of Leeds and we were very much on the back foot for the first twenty minutes, but they only created one real chance and that brought a good save from Lee Grant to deny Aidan White. We were forced to defend and, probably for the first time all season, we defended well.

It was the introduction of Sam Vokes just past the hour that changed things. We changed formation and suddenly started to create chances.

Charlie Austin was in such good form in front of goal but he failed to capitalise on two opportunities. He hit a weak shot straight at Kenny and then headed straight into his hands, but with seven minutes remaining he was not to be denied.

Wallace found McCann whose ball out to the overlapping Kieran Trippier was sublime. Trippier crossed to the far post. Austin, by the time the ball got there, had got between two defenders to get on the end of it and headed it back across Kenny into the goal.

Warnock whinged, Leeds had one late chance, but it was Burnley's night.

The teams were;

Burnley: Lee Grant, Kieran Trippier, Michael Duff, Jason Shackell, Ben Mee (Danny Lafferty 59), Brian Stock (Sam Vokes 64), Dean Marney, Chris McCann, Ross Wallace, Charlie Austin, Martin Paterson. Subs not used: Brian Jensen, David Edgar, Marvin Bartley, Junior Stanislas, Danny Ings.

Leeds: Paddy Kenny, Sam Byram, Lee Peltier, Jason Pearce, Adam Drury (Danny Pugh 81), Aiden White (Luke Varney 86), Michael Brown, Rodolph Austin, Michael Tonge, El-Hadji Diouf, Luciano Becchio. Subs not used: Jamie Ashdown, Patrick Kisnorbo, Paul Green, David Norris, Andy Gray.

Previous Games against Leeds

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