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It's hard to believe that we are now suddenly faced with two home games. We've been on our travels so much recently that playing on the Turf was something we'd almost forgotten about.
But Millwall head the double header, with Coventry on Tuesday, and it will hopefully give us a real opportunity of pushing ever closer to the top six. Our recent run of form has seen us start to put pressure on them.
Look back to the beginning of February after the defeat at Doncaster. We'd dropped to 11th in the table and were 11 points behind second place, which at the time was Norwich. There has been no change to the top six since then but we've managed to get ahead of the chasing pack.
We've now just got to keep on getting result and see where it takes us. Two good home results now would certainly be a massive help.
Millwall are having a good first season back in the Championship having won the play offs last May, beating Swindon 1-0. How the fortunes of those two clubs have changed. Millwall, having won promotion, are nicely placed in mid-table whilst Swindon, who remained in League One, are now fighting relegation and have lost a number of influential players, including Charlie Austin to Burnley, and more recently manager Danny Wilson.
Millwall had been down in the third tier for four years but, other than a blip in November when they dropped as low as 17th. It has been a season of ups and downs highlighted this week with the win over QPR ending a run of five games without a win.
One to watch is definitely Steve Morison. He's a physical forward who has notched 12 goals in the league this season.
One player who won't be featuring for Millwall today is former Cardiff defender Darren Purse who was sent off at the Turf in 2008 which led to him being chased up the tunnel by Andrew Cole. Purse doesn't benefit from the FAW now and as such is serving the last game in a two match ban.
Millwall do have Martin Rowlands back. He's on loan from QPR and wasn't able to play in the midweek game. That game saw Andros Townsend make his Millwall debut. The Spurs player, now enjoying his third loan of the season, has already played against us for Ipswich and Watford.
Rowlands will be added to the squad that played QPR and that was: David Forde, Tony Craig, Alan Dunne, Tamika Mkandawire, Paul Robinson, Darren Ward, James Henry, Liam Trotter, Andros Townsend, Steve Morison, Neil Harris. Subs: Steve Mildenhall, Chris Hackett, Kevin Lisbie, Josh McQuoid, Danny Schofield, Craig Eastmond, Scott Barron.
It's difficult to imagine that Eddie Howe will make many, if any, changes to the Burnley team that won 1-0 at Hull in midweek with a goal from debutant Nathan Delfouneso.
The Villa striker signed on loan on Tuesday and is now set to make his home debut in what will almost certainly be an unchanged team, unless there are any injuries.
We should line up: Lee Grant, Tyrone Mears, Clarke Carlisle, Michael Duff, Danny Fox, Jack Cork, Dean Marney, Ross Wallace, Chris Eagles, Jay Rodriguez, Nathan Delfouneso. Subs: Brian Jensen, David Edgar, Andre Bikey, Graham Alexander, Marvin Bartley, Wade Elliott, Chris Iwelumo.
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The game saw a first minute goal, six yellow cards to go with the four reds, allegations of racial abuse and a sparkling debut by a 17-year-old on loan to Burnley from Southampton.
Exactly one year earlier Jermaine Wright had given Leeds a first minute lead against us at Elland Road in a game we won 2-1. History repeated itself here as Wright scored at the Jimmy Mac end in the first minute again. It was a horrible mistake by Micah Hyde.
In general terms the first half was then relatively quiet and it was played with 11 players on each team. That was all to change for the second half.
Many people inside the ground had no idea that, as the second half started, Millwall were down to ten men. Ben May had been sent off in the tunnel area by Mr Beeby for racial abuse, something he strongly denied and was never proved.
With 20 minutes to go we still trailed but then Beeby struck again. He sent off Jody Morris for grabbing James O'Connor by the throat after awarding a free kick against the Burnley midfielder. He then incredibly ordered James O'Connor off as well. O'Connor's was appealed and the appeal very sensibly won but now it was 10 v 9.
That was all we needed and two goals in two minutes won it for us. Young Nathan Dyer got the first with a superb turn and shot from the corner of the box and then Wade Elliott won it with an effort from just outside the box.
That was it, 2-1, and just time for Beeby to red card Millwall keeper after the final whistle.
The teams were;
Burnley: Brian Jensen, Michael Duff (Nathan Dyer 45), Keith Lowe, Frank Sinclair, Jon Harley, Wade Elliott (Duane Courtney 87), John Spicer (Gifton Noel-Williams 45), Micah Hyde, James O'Connor, Garreth O'Connor, Ade Akinbiyi. Subs not used: Chris McCann, Danny Karbassiyoon.
Millwall: Andy Marshall, Matt Lawrence, Paul Robinson, Phil Ifill, Tony Craig, David Livermore, Don Hutchison (Marvin Elliott), Jody Morris, Jermaine Wright, Carl Asaba (Ben May 44), Barry Hayles. Subs not used: Paul Jones, Sammy Igoe, Josh Simpson.
Previous 20 Seasons | |||||
Season | Div | Ven | Result | Att | Scorers |
1994/95 | 1 | a | 3-2 | 7,375 | Winstanley(2) Robinson |
h | 1-2 | 10,454 | Shaw | ||
1996/97 | 2 | a | 1-2 | 9,281 | Nogan |
h | 1-0 | 9,840 | Weller | ||
1997/98 | 2 | h | 1-2 | 8,834 | Cooke |
a | 0-1 | 7,582 | |||
1998/99 | 2 | h | 2-1 | 8,526 | Cooke(2) |
a | 2-1 | 7,407 | Cooke Davis | ||
1999/2000 | 2 | a | 1-1 | 8,601 | Cooke |
h | 4-3 | 14,890 | Cox Cooke Davis Cook | ||
2001/02 | 1 | a | 2-0 | 11,903 | Ian Moore Alan Moore |
h | 0-0 | 16,131 | |||
2002/03 | 1 | h | 2-2 | 11,878 | West Ian Moore |
a | 1-1 | 6,045 | Ian Moore | ||
2003/04 | 1 | h | 1-1 | 10,435 | Ian Moore |
FAC | a | 0-1 | 10,420 | ||
1 | a | 0-2 | 10,148 | ||
2004/05 | 1 | h | 1-0 | 11,471 | Blake(pen) |
a | 0-0 | 12,171 | |||
2005/06 | C | h | 2-1 | 10,698 | Dyer Elliott |
a | 0-2 | 7,780 | |||
2010/11 | C | a | 1-1 | 12,330 | Rodriguez |