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It's all changed again for the Clarets in recent weeks. Hopes were dramatically raised as we went on a run of five wins and a draw out of six, made even more remarkable by the fact that four of the games were away from home.
Whilst that didn't leave us as promotion favourites it certainly left us with an excellent opportunity, with two games in hand, to get into a play off position. Then it all changed with a defeat at home to Millwall and from being one of the in form teams in the division we have now gone on a run that has seen us pick up one point from the last four games.
With Leeds still to face Reading it is just about still in our hands but things will quickly be taken out of our hands should we not start winning games again. Manager Eddie Howe today that we are at a stage where draws are no good to us.
We don't know how many points we might need but I don't think we can afford to lose more than maybe two more games if we want to finish the season in the top six.
Just a few weeks ago we were the team that was winning games in this division; we have to start doing that again starting today.
Leicester are in a similar position to us in that they need to start getting wins. They have a point less than us and they have played a game more.
Like us, they have suddenly come off the rails at the wrong time. Five successive wins in January and February lifted them to seventh and after the fifth win, at home to Bristol City, they were just one point behind Leeds who were sixth.
Yakubu arrived in time for that run of wins and many judges believed Leicester, under Sven Goran Eriksson, were destined for a real challenge on the top two positions. But, like us and so many other clubs this season, they've now got their difficult spell and since that win against Bristol City they have collected just five points in seven games, and that includes a win at Scunthorpe.
Last week Yakubu hit a hat trick against his former club Middlesbrough but even that wasn't enough to get them a win and they had to settle for a point in a 3-3 draw.
Both teams today need to win; both teams will need to score goals, one way or another it could be a really good game and one where we really need to come out on top.
Leicester will be without Jeffrey Bruma. He was sent off at Middlesbrough a week ago and will sit this one out with a suspension. Also out is Martyn Waghorn with a hamstring injury. He's been employed mostly as a substitute under Eriksson however and was unlikely to start.
One player who will definitely start if fit is former Sheffield United right back Kyle Naughton who is currently on loan from Spurs. He is an injury doubt.
Last week, for the draw at Middlesbrough, they lined up: Chris Weale, Jeffrey Bruma, Patrick Van Aanholt, Souleymane Bamba, Kyle Naughton, Richie Wellens, Matt Oakley, Darius Vassell, Paul Gallagher, Yakubu, Diomansy Kamara. Subs: Martyn Waghorn, Ricardo Pereira, Angelo Miguel Vitor, Lloyd Dyer, Yuki Abe, Steve Howard, Andy King.
There has been much speculation over the past few days as to what the Burnley team might be for this game and that has mainly centred on the goalkeeping and central defensive positions.
Recently, Eddie Howe said Lee Grant was his number one choice for goal but this week, after Brian Jensen had played in the reserves, he just about suggested the shirt was up for grabs.
Until two weeks ago he'd used Clarke Carlisle and Michael Duff as his central defenders but firstly Andre Bikey returned for Duff and last week Carlisle lost his place to loan signing Shane Duffy.
Further forward, Wade Elliott couldn't have done his chances any harm after coming on as a substitute last week and it wouldn't come as a surprise if he was preferred to either Chris Eagles or Ross Wallace.
Two players definitely not under consideration are left back Danny Fox and midfielder Jack Cork. Fox serves the second and last game of his suspension and whilst Cork was due to return to Burnley yesterday, Howe thought this game had come too early for him and he'd be under consideration for Forest on Tuesday.
The Clarets could, however, welcome back Steven Thompson who has been back in full training this week following his groin surgery.
The team last week was: Lee Grant, Tyrone Mears, Shane Duffy, Andre Bikey, Brian Easton, Dean Marney, Marvin Bartley, Chris Eagles, Ross Wallace, Nathan Delfouneso, Jay Rodriguez. Subs: Brian Jensen, David Edgar, Clarke Carlisle, Michael Duff, Graham Alexander, Wade Elliott, Chris Iwelumo.
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Leicester too were under the caretaker management of Frank Burrows. Gary Megson had recently left with Ian Holloway set to be the next man in charge.
Davis said ahead of kick off that he and the players would be playing for the departed Cotterill and he said he'd discussed the team with the former manager. There was just one change from the previous game with Stephen Jordan moving into the centre of defence to replace Unsworth and Jon Harley coming back in at left back.
We started brilliantly and could have been in front in only the second minute as Wade Elliott saw his effort turned away for a corner after a superb run. Clarke Carlisle came close as did Andy Gray after linking up with Robbie Blake.
The start only needed a goal and it duly came midway through the first half through Gray. He'd scored the only goal of the game there in the previous season and he repeated that with the opener, a crisp shot from the right of the box.
Leicester were struggling to make any impact on the game and when they did get forward they found Carlisle and Jordan in formidable form. Unfortunately Jordan suffered an ankle injury and was forced off just before half time with Chris McCann dropping into the back four.
The second half saw no change at all with the home side not able to get into the game and the only surprise perhaps was us not scoring any more goals. There again 1-0 is often the winning score for us at Leicester.
For Burnley it was a third away win of the season. For Steve Davis it proved to be his only game in charge. When he next got such an opportunity, at Old Trafford against Manchester United no less, he spurned it and left the club.
The teams at Leicester in 2007 were;
Leicester: Marton Fulop, Richard Stearman, Bruno N'Gotty (Iain Hume 60), Patrick Kisnorbo, Gareth McAuley, Matty Fryatt, Darren Kenton (James Wesolowski 55), Stephen Clemence, Joe Mattock, Carl Cort (Collins John 56), DJ Campbell. Subs not used: Paul Henderson, James Chambers.
Burnley: Gabor Kiraly, Graham Alexander, Clarke Carlisle, Stephen Jordan (Alan Mahon 42), Jon Harley, Wade Elliott, John Spicer (James O'Connor 70), Chris McCann, Kyle Lafferty (Ade Akinbiyi 76), Robbie Blake, Andy Gray. Subs not used: Brian Jensen, Steve Jones.
Previous 20 Seasons | |||||
Season | Div | Ven | Result | Att | Scorers |
1995/96 | LC | a | 0-2 | 11,142 | |
a | 0-2 | 4,553 | |||
2002/03 | 1 | a | 1-0 | 26,254 | I Moore |
h | 1-2 | 14,554 | Sinclair(og) | ||
2004/05 | C | a | 0-0 | 22,495 | |
h | 0-0 | 10,933 | |||
2005/06 | C | a | 1-0 | 23,326 | Akinbiyi |
| . | h | 1-0 | 12,592 | Spicer | |
2006/07 | C | a | 1-0 | 19,035 | Gray |
h | 0-1 | 10,274 | |||
2007/08 | C | a | 1-0 | 21,334 | Gray |
h | 1-0 | 10,688 | Unsworth | ||
2010/11 | C | h | 3-0 | 15,516 | Wallace Iwelumo Alexander(pen) |