Middlesbrough here as Clarets look for those last few points

For some time people have been avoiding the 'P' word. Manager Sean Dyche has constantly spoken about 'one game at a time'. Now, one game at a time very much includes the 'P' word because a win tomorrow coupled with a draw or defeat for Derby will see us promoted to the Premier League.

That might not happen; I don't think it will because I do believe Derby will win against Huddersfield at Pride Park, but it will now just be delaying the inevitable which is Burnley joining Leicester in claiming that promotion place.

It's not the time to talk about the season. I'm sure I'll have much to say and write about that when it eventually happens, so, as Ashley Barnes said on Tuesday after scoring the winning goal, we now move on to Middlesbrough and prepare ourselves for the next game.

We have all worked together says Michael Kightly

You can't help but get excited. However, loan player Michael Kightly chose today to remind us all that things aren't always perfect and that, at times this season, he's been disappointed with his overall form.

Kightly has been in outstanding form in the last two away games and said today: "I've had a couple of good games recently, but I've not performed as well as I would have liked since I've been here.

"I know that and I'm not one to hide away. I've shown better form at other clubs I've been at, but hopefully I can carry on the way I've been playing in the last couple of games."

Believing that some of it has been down to a lack of confidence, he's now hoping to take his recent form into tomorrow's game and spoke about the big spirit within the group.

"It's a team game, and a squad game," he added. "Everyone has chipped in, and what we've achieved so far this season has not been down to one or two players, it's been down to everyone.

"It's not just the players but the staff as well. We have all pulled together and worked in the right direction, and that's why we're having the success we're having so far, and long may it continue."

Kightly has often been substituted in games. Prior to last Saturday he'd only played the full game on three occasions in the league, but it's five now after seeing out both the Watford and the Barnsley game.

I don't expect him to be missing from tomorrow's team either when the big question for the manager will surely be whether to recall Kieran Trippier. He held him back on Tuesday and reckoned another couple of training sessions would benefit him.

But he's had no need to rush Tripps back into the side. He's missed the last five games but newest recruit Chris Baird has proved to be more than an able deputy in that right-back position.

Trippier for Baird looks to me to be the only possible change tomorrow and I'm still not sure that will happen.

So, hedging my bets, I think our team will be: Tom Heaton, Chris Baird or Kieran Trippier, Michael Duff, Jason Shackell, Ben Mee, Scott Arfield, Dean Marney, David Jones, Michael Kightly, Danny Ings, Ashley Barnes. Subs from: Alex Cisak, Chris Baird or Kieran Trippier, Kevin Long, Danny Lafferty, David Edgar, Brian Stock, Ross Wallace, Junior Stanislas, Keith Treacy.

Middlesbrough are in their best form of the season. This is a team that, from mid-January to the beginning of March, went on a run of seven games without scoring. The one fortunate thing for them during that run was that they kept four clean sheets and so only lost three of the games.

Since the last of those games at Sheffield Wednesday they have failed to score just once in seven games of which they have won four and lost just one. The one defeat was at home against QPR when two late goals, the first a bizarre goal when the ball hit a sprinkler head, gave the then automatic promotion chasers all three points.

The first of the wins came at home to Ipswich and they have just recorded three successive wins at Brighton and then at home against Derby, and we thank them for that, and Birmingham.

The Birmingham win came despite losing both central defenders to two yellow cards. The first to go was Kenneth Omeruo and he was followed by the chairman's nephew Ben Gibson. Both will miss tomorrow's game but it shows the difference between our squad and their squad that they are able to call on players such as Jonathan Woodgate and Daniel Ayala.

George Friend also limped out of the Birmingham win which means more changes and they also have long term injury victims such as Mustapha Carayol who, like Sam Vokes, has suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament, Seb Hines and our former loan player Rhys Williams who, five years ago, helped us into the play-offs.

Woodgate is on his way back from injury as is Ayala, who has been back in training for one week, but manager Aitor Karanka said of the latter: "He's been out for two and a half months but I need to include him in the squad because I don't have enough players."

He's also included David Atkinson, a young defender, but said of him: "I need to protect the kid because I think it can be a good opportunity for him but it will be a difficult game and you sometimes think you're giving an opportunity and after the game it could be worse, so I need to think very carefully.

"But if not on Saturday, I hope David can play before the end of the season because he's training very well with me every day and he deserves to play."

Teams often cry wolf ahead of games with injuries etc. but then turn up with a strong team. I've no idea how they will line up although I do expect Ayala to come in alongside Woodgate.

Their team for the win against Birmingham was: Dimitrios Konstantopoulos, Jozsef Varga, Ben Gibson, Kenneth Omeruo, George Friend (Jonathan Woodgate), Luke Williams (Emmanuel Ledesma), Nathaniel Chalobah, Grant Leadbitter, Albert Adomah, Jacob Butterfield (Lee Tomlin), Danny Graham. Subs not used: Jason Steele, David Atkinson, Mark Kitching, Curtis Main.

Tomorrow's game will kick off at 3:07 after a minute's silence in memory of the 96 Liverpool fans who died in the Hillsborough disaster 25 years ago next Tuesday.

Middlesbrough fans will also be remembering their legendary goalkeeper Rolando Ugolini. Described today as one of their greatest ever players, the Italian joined Middlesbrough from Celtic in 1948 and went on to play over 330 games for them alongside players such as Wilf Mannion, George Hardwick and Brian Clough. He was 89.

Last Time They Were Here

Middlesbrough's visit to Burnley last season kicked off what became the black month for us as four successive home games under the lights brought four depressing performances with two draws and two defeats.

The Middlesbrough game was the first of them and ended 0-0. It wasn't an exciting 0-0 draw either but a game that, at the time, I described as very drab and tedious.

Sam Vokes helped improve things

Manager Sean Dyche made three changes from the team that had lost at Bolton three days earlier. Both Ross Wallace and Danny Ings were ruled out with injury and replaced with Brian Stock and Martin Paterson. David Edgar was dropped with Kevin Long coming in to the defence.

Middlesbrough had been moaning ahead of the game about having no available defenders but it proved not to be the case and they lined up with the familiar figure of Andre Bikey in their team.

Tony Mowbray came with one intention. That was to stifle us, play the most negative game I'd seen from any team all season and try and get a 0-0 draw.

We dominated the first half but offered up just two meaningful shots, Jason Steele saving well from Charlie Austin and then Dean Marney, but in truth they were comfortable against us for much of the half and it was no surprise that it ended goalless.

Nothing much changed in the second half, in fact nothing at all changed until we introduced Keith Treacy and Sam Vokes with twenty minutes remaining. We stepped it up but in truth it was too little, too late .

Right at the end Middlesbrough did what they so often do to us by firing in a long ranger. This time it was from Mustapha Carayol and thankfully it was saved by Lee Grant and the point, at least, was secured.

The teams were;

Burnley: Lee Grant, Kieran Trippier, Kevin Long, Jason Shackell, Danny Lafferty, Brian Stock (Sam Vokes 70), Junior Stanislas, Dean Marney, Chris McCann, Martin Paterson (Keith Treacy 70), Charlie Austin. Subs not used: Brian Jensen, David Edgar, Joseph Mills, Marvin Bartley, Dane Richards.

Middlesbrough: Jason Steele, Nicky Bailey, Stephen McManus, Andre Bikey, George Friend, Rhys Williams, Richard Smallwood (Mustapha Carayol 53), Josh McEachran, Grant Leadbitter, Andy Halliday (Ishmael Miller 73), Marvin Emnes (Curtis Main 68). Subs not used: Jayson Leutwiler, Faris Haroun, Emmanuel Ledesma, Luke Williams.

Previous Games against Middlesbrough

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