It's over five months since we last kicked off at 3 o'clock on a Saturday afternoon at home. The last two home games of last season were on Easter Monday against Wigan and then televised by Sky against Ipswich; the opening two this season against Chelsea and Manchester United have been screened by Sky and BT Sport respectively and played on a Monday night and then Saturday lunchtime.
So, like the two away games so far, we can prepare for a game at the traditional time for football, and against a Sunderland team who we last met at Turf Moor exactly five years ago which was the third home game in our last Premier League season.
We go into the game in 18th place in the table having picked up our second point of the season at Selhurst Park last week. That's two points from four games but, despite that, there seems to be a belief amongst supporters that we've done ok in the opening period of the season.
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| Kieran Trippier is taking it game by game |
We all accepted the opening defeat against Chelsea simply because of how good they were, and the 1-0 loss at Swansea did see us play really well in the second half.
The concern, and manager Sean Dyche has highlighted it, is the current lack of goals with only Scott Arfield having scored for us since Michael Oliver blew the first whistle to get things underway almost five weeks ago.
Just that solitary goal scored but none conceded since our former loan player Nathan Dyer scored for Swansea and that's a real positive to take into the game tomorrow.
Right-back Kieran Trippier has spoken about the good defensive results ahead of this game. "We're delighted with the two clean sheets in succession as a back five, including Tom Heaton, and hopefully we can take that into the weekend," he said.
"Last year we had the best defensive record in the Championship and hopefully we can try and do something similar this year.
"They're massive markers defensively. Not many teams will go to Palace and get a clean sheet. It was a good point in the end and hopefully this weekend with Sunderland coming to town we can get all three for the fans.
"The fans might thing that these games are must win but as a group we certainly don't as every game in this league is a difficult one. We want to take it game by game just as we did last year and this Saturday is no different and we want three points as always."
One similar pattern to last season has been the clearly small number of team changes. Sean Dyche named the same team for each of the first three Premier League games with the first change coming at Palace when new signing George Boyd replaced the injured Matt Taylor on the left hand side of midfield.
Taylor remains out for tomorrow's game with an Achilles problem and, of course, we are also without Danny Ings who was withdrawn just before half time a week ago with a hamstring problem.
That's the bad news as far as Danny is concerned, but the good news is that it is a straightforward hamstring injury with no complications, and not as bad as was first feared. Dyche confirmed that the result of the scan had put Ings' mind at rest but I'd expect it to be a few weeks although he could be fit to return after the next international break.
Last week he brought on Marvin Sordell as his replacement so Sordell, you would expect, will be the front runner to get the shirt tomorrow although Ashley Barnes will certainly have been pushing to earn a place during training this week.
Other than that I expect us to go with the same starting side but there could be some changes on the bench with the two loan boys Nathaniel Chalobah and Michael Keane now having spent a full week with us.
The team could be: Tom Heaton, Kieran Trippier, Michael Duff, Jason Shackell, Ben Mee, Scott Arfield, Dean Marney, David Jones, George Boyd, Marvin Sordell, Lukas Jutkiewicz. Subs from: Matt Gilks, Steven Reid, Michael Keane, Kevin Long, Stephen Ward, Nathaniel Chalobah, Ross Wallace, Michael Kightly, Ashley Barnes.
For much of last season it seemed very unlikely that Sunderland would be visiting Turf Moor for a Premier League game. A very good friend of mine, a Mackem through and through, was convinced for most of the 2013/14 season that we'd be swapping places.
I eventually accepted that he was very much on the right lines with us, and I think we both believed Sunderland would be relegated.
After losing at home to Everton on 12th April they were bottom of the league, four points behind next team Cardiff and a massive seven points behind Norwich who occupied the safety first position of 17th. They also had some very tough games to come and most had written them off.
They then drew 2-2 at Man City, with previous Burnley target Connor Wickham scoring both goals. Three days later and Wickham was on the mark again, as was Fabio Borini from the penalty spot as they became the first team to beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge under Jose Mourinho's watch.
Relegation rivals Cardiff were hammered 4-0 at the Stadium of Light, they won 1-0 at Old Trafford against Man United and then beat West Brom at home 2-0. A draw and four wins had taken them clear with a game to go and to guaranteed safety.
They did lose the last game of the season against Swansea at home. This season, a 1-0 reverse at QPR, courtesy of a Charlie Austin goal, is their only defeat with the other three games, West Brom away (2-2) and home games against Man United (1-1) and Spurs (2-2), have all been drawn.
Those three points have taken them to 15th place in the table ahead of the game tomorrow. In those games they have scored five times. Spurs' striker scored an own goal last week and the other four goals have been scored by four different players. Lee Cattermole and Sebastian Larsson scored at West Brom, Jack Rodwell at home to United with Adam Johnson scoring the other goal against Spurs.
Manager Gus Poyet has been credited with getting them out of the hole last season. When he replaced Paolo di Canio in October they were bottom of the league with just one point from their opening eight games, that coming in a 1-1 draw at Southampton.
Having lost his first game in charge at Swansea he then got the fans well and truly onside with a 2-1 home win against fierce rivals Newcastle. He followed that up with a 3-0 win at St. James' Park in February so it's hardly a surprise he remains very popular on Wearside.
Unlike the Clarets, Sunderland have no injury problems but Poyet has to make some decisions on the team. All of Billy Jones, sent off on his last visit to Turf Moor, Will Buckley and Jordi Gomez are pushing for a place whilst former Claret Steven Fletcher, left out last week, could be on the bench with Wickham preferred. If that's the case it will be Wickham's third 2014 appearance at Turf Moor for three different clubs having already played for Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds.
The Sunderland team last week against Spurs, in 4-1-4-1, was: Vito Mannone, Santiago Vergini, John O'Shea, Wes Brown, Patrick van Aanholt, Lee Cattermole, Ricardo Alvarez, Sebastian Larsson, Jack Rodwell, Adam Johnson, Connor Wickham. Subs: Costel Pantilimon, Billy Jones, Liam Bridcutt, Jordi Gomez, Jozy Altidore, Emanuele Giaccherini, Will Buckley.
Last Time They Were Here
Five years ago today. We'd won our first two home games in the Premier League. Both had been 1-0 wins and both had seen the opposition fail to score. Robbie Blake got the winner against Manchester United and Wade Elliott the scorer against Everton.
We were happy to be back at home with the first three away games all lost, 2-0 at Stoke, 3-0 at Chelsea and 4-0 at Liverpool.
The latter two had come since our previous home game but, despite the heavy defeats, Owen Coyle stuck with the same team that had played in the previous four games which meant latest signing David Nugent, who had arrived on deadline day from Portsmouth on loan was again on the bench for what was his first home game.
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| Two goals for David Nugent |
The game was screened live by Sky with Burnley's chief executive Paul Fletcher in the Sky box in the corner. The last time we'd beaten Sunderland in a league game he was very much on the other side of the white line and scored both goals in the promotion clinching 2-0 Turf Moor win in 1973.
Sunderland started by far the better side and were dominating the play. We were seeing hardly any of the ball and we could certainly not have complained had we fallen behind, but when the first goal came on 13 minutes it went our way.
Wade Elliott was played in down the right hand side. He cut into the box and was promptly brought down by Anton Ferdinand. Graham Alexander stepped up and, hardly surprisingly, converted the penalty.
Sunderland struggled initially to get back into things but then assumed control again with us suffering a blow just before the half hour when Chris McCann was forced off with an injury after a challenge from Michael Turner.
As had happened at Wembley less than four months earlier he was replaced by Joey Gudjonsson but soon after we conceded. We allowed Andy Reid far too much space down the left and when he played the ball in it found Clarke Carlisle playing Darren Bent onside and he made no mistake.
Since Carlisle scored an own goal against Palace in the promotion season we had scored 19 times at home without conceding, and with Sunderland by far the better team this was a worrying time to concede just six minutes before half time.
The second half was totally different. It was pretty even until we made two changes. On 57 minutes, Nugent came on for Martin Paterson and seven minutes later Steven Fletcher, playing on the right hand side of a midfield five, was replaced by Chris Eagles.
Eagles had been on the pitch for just three minutes when the two subs were both involved as we restored our lead. Eagles found Tyrone Mears who in turn got the ball to Elliott. His brilliant cross was met by Nugent who powered home his header for his first Burnley goal.
Four minutes from the end he got his second and Burnley's third. By now we were without doubt the better side and when Kenwyne Jones gave the ball away deep in our half it was picked up by Elliott.
The Wembley winner went on a run that was so reminiscent of that for his goal in the play-off final. This time he laid the ball off to Mears on the right. He crossed low for Nugent. The striker had his back to goal but turned a curled a left foot shot into the corner.
Nugent had become the first Burnley player since Brian Flynn in 1976 to score twice in a top flight game and the points were ours as the Clarets won 3-1.
The teams were;
Burnley: Brian Jensen, Tyrone Mears, Clarke Carlisle, Andre Bikey, Stephen Jordan, Graham Alexander, Steven Fletcher (Chris Eagles 64), Wade Elliott, Chris McCann (Joey Gudjonsson 28), Robbie Blake, Martin Paterson (David Nugent 57). Subs not used: Diego Penny, Kevin McDonald, Fernando Guerrero, Steven Thompson.
Sunderland: Craig Gordon, Phil Bardsley, Michael Turner, Anton Ferdinand, George McCartney, Steed Malbranque (Kenwyne Jones 62), Lorik Cana, Kieran Richardson, Andy Reid, Darren Bent, Fraizer Campbell (Jordan Henderson 75). Subs not used: Trevor Carson, Nyron Nosworthy, Paulo Da Silva, John Mensah, David Healy.
Previous Games against Sunderland
| Last 20 Years | |||||
| Season | Comp | Ven | Res | Att | Scorers |
| 1994/95 | Division One | a | 0-0 | 17,700 | |
| h | 1-1 | 15,121 | Eyres(pen) | ||
| 2003/04 | Division One | a | 1-1 | 29,852 | I Moore |
| h | 1-2 | 18,852 | Little | ||
| 2004/05 | Championship | a | 1-2 | 27,102 | Branch |
| h | 0-2 | 12,103 | |||
| 2006/07 | Championship | h | 2-2 | 14,798 | Lafferty(2) |
| a | 2-3 | 44,448 | Gray(pen), Elliott | ||
| 2009/10 | Premier League | h | 3-1 | 20,196 | Alexander(pen), Nugent(2) |
| a | 1-2 | 41,341 | Thompson | ||
Click HERE to see all previous results against Sunderland