Clarets set for Roses battle

Leeds away has never been one of the fixtures I've quickly pencilled in at the start of the season. I've been there often enough over the years but rarely returned home with much other than a defeat.

Having said that, when I have it has been something to really enjoy, and that can was certainly the case on the two occasions I've seen us win there. The first of them was in 1974 when Jimmy Adamson's team hammered them 4-1, a result we paid for with the game just about signalling the end of Frank Casper's career.

I had to wait over 30 years for the next win there. This one was very much an against the odds win as Steve Cotterill used all his available players, including three right backs. We conceded in a matter of seconds but two of those right backs, Lee Roche and Richard Duffy, scored to give us a 2-1 win.

Danny Ings is confident we can win

We've got nothing since in five visits. Five defeats and only one goal scored, that by Charlie Austin in January 2012 when we conceded two very late goals and lost 2-1 in a game that saw Kieran Trippier sent off.

Who knows what we might get today, but we are certainly going there on the back of some good recent results. I'm sure even the most optimistic of Burnley fans is surprised to see us as high as fourth after seven games, but we are very much there on merit after suffering just one league defeat this season.

That came at Brighton but has been sandwiched between two away wins at Sheffield Wednesday and, more recently, Derby.

Both strikers, Danny Ings and Sam Vokes, found the net in those wins and ahead of today's game leading goalscorer Ings said: "It's a massive game. It's definitely up there as one of the toughest places to go but the form that we're in we've got no fears going into that game. We've got to go and give a good performance and I'm sure we can win.

"I'm sure the bad luck that's been there before will hopefully be turned round. With the form that we're in I'm sure it can be turned round."

Ings has now scored seven league and cup goals so far this season and Vokes has found the net three times, usually off his back side or face, but his recent form has been outstanding and I don't think I've ever seen him play better than he did in the Derby win and the home draw against Blackburn.

They'll line up today and I'm sure the only question mark over the starting line up will be at left back. Ben Mee was forced off at half time on Tuesday feeling unwell with Danny Lafferty coming on as a substitute.

Mee is now recovered and has been back in training and I expect he'll start. We should line up: Tom Heaton, Kieran Trippier, Michael Duff, Jason Shackell, Ben Mee, Scott Arfield, Dean Marney, David Jones, Michael Kightly, Danny Ings, Sam Vokes. Subs from: Alex Cisak, Kevin Long, Danny Lafferty, David Edgar, Brian Stock, Junior Stanislas, Keith Treacy, Ryan Noble.

Leeds had started the season in similar fashion to ourselves until midweek. Had they won at Reading they'd have been right behind us on goal difference but the defeat, just their second of the season, has left them in 11th place with 11 points.

That other defeat came at home against current league leaders QPR but they have won three games. They beat Brighton at Elland Road on the opening day of the season and also won away games at Ipswich and Bolton.

Like Burnley they've conceded just five league goals, but they've scored only one more with five of those six goals being scored by Ross McCormack (3) and Luke Varney (2).

The other goal was netted by Luke Murphy. He was a £1 million signing from Crewe in the summer, one of four new recruits for Brian McDermott's squad. He was in the side beaten at Reading as were two of the other three, Scott Wootton and Noel Hunt who were signed from Manchester United and Reading. The fourth signing, striker Matt Smith from Oldham, was a substitute.

It will be a similar team today but Leeds will have to make at least one change. Stephen Warnock gave away the free kick that led to Reading's winner for which he received a second yellow card from referee Neil Swarbrick.

Adam Drury would have been the most likely replacement but he's sidelined with injury and so Warnock's place in the team today is expected to go to Aidy White.

Sam Byram could also return. He's still to feature this season through injury but is now available although he's probably more likely to be on the bench.

Leeds likely team is: Paddy Kenny, Tom Lees, Scott Wootton, Alex Pearce, Aidy White, Michael Tonge, Rodolph Austin, Luke Murphy, Ross McCormack, Noel Hunt, Luke Varney. Subs: Alex Cairns, Sam Byram, Paul Green, Alex Mowatt, El Hadji Diouf, Dominic Poleon, Matt Smith.

Last Time We Were There

I think our visit to Elland Road last season is best forgotten. We lost 1-0 and left us hovering just three points above the drop zone with three games to play, and leaders Cardiff to come next.

The only positive, and that didn't come on the night, was that it brought to an end a shocking sequence of results that saw us win just twice, and pick up just 12 points, in 15 games.

Last Burnley game for Alex Kačaniklić

That followed a run of three successive wins in January that had left us in 7th place before the unrest in the dressing room caused by the contract talks for players, presumably those no longer with us.

I headlined my match report from this Elland Road disaster with 'Dismal, desperate and depressing' and I think I was being kind. For once we'd lost there and could have no complaints over the result in a game where Leeds weren't that good but had the outstanding player in El Hadji Diouf.

We'd received a blow ahead of the game that Charlie Austin was out having had his appendix removed. We knew he wouldn't play in any of the remaining games and probably that he'd played his last game for Burnley.

Martin Paterson came in for Austin but was woeful. Alex Kačaniklić came in for Junior Stanislas and he was even worse in what was his last game for us before returning to the banks of the Thames and straight into Premier League action.

We were poor in a goalless first half; we were considerably worse in the second half when, just after the hour, Leeds scored the only goal of the game. Diouf was the architect. He played a delightful ball from the left for Rodolph Austin to get between two Burnley defenders to score with incredible ease.

That was it; there was never going to be a comeback. Many Burnley fans left the ground believing that League One football was inevitable. Thankfully it wasn't, but no thanks to this sorry performance.

The teams were;

Leeds: Paddy Kenny, Sam Byram, Tom Lees, Jason Pearce, Stephen Warnock, Michael Tonge, Rodolph Austin, Paul Green, El Hadji Diouf, Ross McCormack (Davide Somma 84), Luke Varney. Subs not used: Jamie Ashdown, Adam Drury, Aidan White, Habib Habibou, Dominic Poleon, Ryan Hall.

Burnley: Lee Grant, Kieran Trippier, Kevin Long, Jason Shackell, Ben Mee (Danny Lafferty 45+1), Ross Wallace (Danny Ings 65), Dean Marney, Chris McCann, Alex Kačaniklić, Martin Paterson (Junior Stanislas 53), Sam Vokes. Subs not used: Brian Jensen, David Edgar, Marvin Bartley, Brian Stock.

Previous Games against Leeds

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