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The break came just at the wrong time for the Clarets. After winning two and drawing one of the first three games, we lost our unbeaten run with a 1-0 defeat at Swansea and have now had to wait two weeks to try and get back to winning ways.
Prior to that game, despite not being as fluent as we might be, we'd done well enough. We'd won both home games without conceding a goal and although it took a late goal to get a point at Ipswich we were somewhat unfortunate in that we'd been the better side, certainly in the first half.
A win at Swansea would have seen us go into the break with ten points along with leaders QPR, Cardiff and lastly Ipswich who have won all their other games. We certainly didn't do enough in that game and the first twenty minutes or so were the toughest we've faced this season.
So it has left us in fifth place, with a three point deficit on the top three, a deficit we'll be hoping to pull back over the next few games before the next international break in four weeks time.
This is a game that will see two former Preston players lining up for Burnley, and there are former Clarets in the Preston camp too with both Kevin 'Rooster' Russell and David Unsworth in the visitors' technical area.
It was crisis time at Preston just a few months ago. A winding up order exposed their frail financial position, the result of which has seen Trevor Hemmings gain over 91% of the shares and subsequently the appointment of rugby man Maurice Lindsay as the new chairman in place of the outgoing Derek Shaw.
In the summer, there were changes on the playing side. Youl Mawene was one player to leave the club while Neil Mellor, one of the 'big' Preston strikers was allowed to join Sheffield Wednesday on loan.
Other players, including former Claret Richard Chaplow, were made available for transfer and that all allowed manager Darren Ferguson, preparing for his first full season in charge, to bring in some new players.
He started by looking at his dad's place with three players making their way from Old Trafford. David Gray was signed on a permanent basis while both Josh King and Burnley fan Matty James were signed on loan, James for the entire season.
Other arrivals have been striker Paul Hayes from Scunthorpe, Craig Morgan who cost £400,000 from Ferguson's previous club Peterborough, Wayne Brown who was released by Leicester and Darel Russell, a target for Burnley in the previous two summers.
It was Hayes who scored their goal in the 1-0 home win against Portsmouth, but to date it is their only league goal and the win has brought the only league points. They have though reached the third round of the Carling Cup after recording wins against Stockport and Bradford City, the latter on penalties.
They might not have made the best of starts this season, but they will certainly provide a real threat this afternoon.
Apart from Barry Nicholson, who is recovering from a broken leg, Darren Ferguson has a full strength squad to select from, and that includes Wayne Brown. The central defender is still to make his Preston debut because of injury, but he's trained all week and came through a reserve team game with no reaction.
He'll be included in the squad and is likely to be the only addition to the eighteen involved in their last game, a 1-0 defeat at Sheffield United.
That day they lined up: Andy Lonergan, Billy Jones, Craig Morgan, Sean St. Ledger, Callum Davidson, David Gray, Matty James, Paul Coutts, Keith Treacy, Paul Hayes, Josh King. Subs: Andreas Arestidou, Danny Mayor, Chris Brown, Connor McLaughlin, Darel Russell, Adam Barton, Jon Parkin.
Although two former Preston players will play for the Clarets - skipper Graham Alexander and Ross Wallace - there is no reunion with his old club for Tyrone Mears who must sit this one out as he serves his one match suspension following his red card at Swansea.
There are potentially three replacements in Michael Duff, David Edgar and Richard Eckersley. It was Edgar who stood in at Ipswich when Mears was injured and, although Duff has now returned to fitness, he's the most likely to fill the right back position again.
Duff played the full ninety minutes in the reserves against Accrington on Tuesday and is certain to be back in the squad, but it looks more likely that he'll have to settle for a place on the bench.
There is no doubt that Jack Cork, Chris Eagles and Steven Thompson, the three substitutes used at Swansea, are all pushing for a place. Thompson would have got his chance had Chris Iwelumo not shaken off his hamstring injury.
If we stick with the same side as much as possible then we'll line up: Brian Jensen, David Edgar, Clarke Carlisle, Andre Bikey, Danny Fox, Graham Alexander, Wade Elliott, Dean Marney, Martin Paterson, Chris Iwelumo, Ross Wallace. Subs: Lee Grant, Michael Duff, Leon Cort, Jack Cork, Chris Eagles, Jay Rodriguez, Steven Thompson.
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On their previous visit, Preston should have been down to ten men and facing a penalty in the first minute, this time they should just have gone 1-0 down as Martin Paterson went one-on-one with goalkeeper Andy Lonergan. He opted to take the ball round the goalkeeper but then somehow hit his shot way over the bar.
We started the better of the two sides, but they were causing us problems down our right hand side and it was that route that led to them going in front. Chris Sedgwick it was who got down the flank and crossed, and Steven Caldwell could do no more than head it down into the path of Barry Nicholson who scored with a volley from the edge of the box.
Both Caldwell and his partner Clarke Carlisle pointed the finger at goalkeeper Brian Jensen, claiming he should have come and collected the initial cross.
Just past the half hour, Michael Hart injured himself while giving away a free kick. He was stretchered off before Burnley could take the free kick some forty yards from goal. Graham Alexander took it and moved it just a few feet to Joey Gudjonsson and the Icelandic hit an amazing shot that dipped, swerved and left Lonergan bewildered as it flew in.
From that moment on there was only going to be one winner as Burnley dominated and incredibly Gudjonsson came close to a second from fully seventy yards. It was no more than a clearance but it beat Lonergan and the Preston keeper was relieved to see it go just wide.
Finally, just past the hour, we got ourselves in front. Carlisle got his head to an Alexander free kick and headed it across goal for Caldwell who headed home his first goal of the season.
Almost immediately the game looked up for Preston. Again Gudjonsson was involved and his run was blocked by Callum Davidson. Referee Lee Mason, who had ruined this game in the previous season, got his red card out again.
You couldn't see Preston coming back after that, but at 2-1 there were always concerns. Then, deep into stoppage time, substitute Chris Eagles ran onto a ball from Chris McCann and this time with a one-on-one there was to be no mistake as he ensured the points were ours by adding the third to give us a 3-1 win.
The teams were;
Burnley: Brian Jensen, Michael Duff, Clarke Carlisle, Steven Caldwell, Stephen Jordan, Graham Alexander, Wade Elliott (Robbie Blake 80), Joey Gudjonsson, Chris McCann, Steven Thompson (Chris Eagles 72), Martin Paterson (Jay Rodriguez 80). Subs not used: Diego Penny, Alan Mahon
Preston: Andy Lonergan, Billy Jones, Youl Mawene, Sean St. Ledger, Michael Hart (Callum Davidson 32), Barry Nicholson, Darren Carter (Richard Chaplow 69), Paul McKenna, Chris Sedgwick, Neil Mellor, Jon Parkin (Chris Brown 45). Subs not used: Chris Neal, Stephen Elliott.
Previous 20 Seasons | |||||
Season | Div | Ven | Result | Att | Scorers |
1992/93 | 2 | a | 0-2 | 7,209 | . |
| . | . | h | 2-0 | 12,648 | Heath(2) |
1993/94 | LC | a | 2-1 | 6,283 | Davis Eyres |
. | . | h | 4-1 | 9,346 | Deary Eyres Francis Russell |
. | AG | a | 1-2 | 4,485 | Eyres |
1996/97 | 2 | a | 1-1 | 12,652 | Nogan |
| . | . | h | 1-2 | 16,186 | Barnes |
1997/98 | 2 | h | 1-1 | 13,809 | Cooke |
. | . | a | 3-2 | 12,263 | Payton Cooke N Moore |
. | AW | h | 1-0 | 10,079 | Payton |
1998/99 | 2 | a | 1-4 | 15,888 | Eastwood |
| . | AW | h | 0-1 | 3,366 | . |
| . | 2 | h | 0-1 | 11,561 | . |
1999/2000 | 2 | a | 0-0 | 13,708 | . |
| . | . | h | 0-3 | 22,310 | . |
2000/01 | 1 | a | 1-2 | 17,355 | Moore |
| . | . | h | 3-0 | 16,591 | Moore Ball Little |
2001/02 | 1 | a | 3-2 | 20,370 | Gnohere(2) Little |
| . | . | h | 2-1 | 18,388 | I Moore Johnson |
2002/03 | 1 | a | 1-3 | 16,046 | Taylor |
| . | . | h | 2-0 | 12,245 | Blake Papadopoulos |
2003/04 | 1 | a | 3-5 | 18,802 | I Moore Gnohere Blake(pen) |
| . | . | h | 1-1 | 15,837 | Blake |
2004/05 | C | h | 2-0 | 15,318 | Blake(2) |
| . | . | a | 0-1 | 18,202 | . |
2005/06 | C | a | 0-0 | 17,139 | . |
| . | . | h | 0-2 | 17,220 | . |
2006/07 | C | h | 3-2 | 14,871 | J O'Connor St. Ledger(og) Gray |
| . | . | a | 0-2 | 17,666 | . |
2007/08 | C | h | 2-3 | 14,829 | Lafferty McCann |
| . | . | a | 1-2 | 16,149 | J O'Connor |
2008/09 | C | h | 3-1 | 16,276 | Gudjonsson Caldwell Eagles |
| . | . | a | 1-2 | 15,692 | Blake |