Take your coat, it will be cold at the Ricoh

We take on a Coventry side who launched Operation Premiership under the guidance of former Claret Paul Fletcher He became the Managing Director at the club back in January and his intention is to raise the money needed for manager Micky Adams to bring in the quality of player required to take Coventry back up.

They ended last season in eighth place in the table with 63 points. It was their highest placing all season, and a major improvement from the turn of the year, they went into 2006 in eighteenth place.

Although they were one of the form teams in the second half of the season, Adams decided to make changes during the summer. He brought in no fewer than eight players on permanent deals and two more on loan, whilst since the season got underway he has added two more permanent signings and no fewer than three more loan signings.

That's fourteen new players although two of them are no longer at the Ricoh. Goalkeeper Luke Steele returned to Manchester United after just a week so they could sell him to West Brom and Adams' first summer signing Wayne Andrews, from Crystal Palace, has now moved to Sheffield Wednesday on loan.

The other summer signings were Mikkel Bischoff from Manchester City, West Ham's Elliott Ward, midfielder Colin Cameron who made the move from Wolves, Millwall keeper Andy Marshall, Brentford midfielder Jay Tabb, Scottish defender David McNamee who signed from Livingston and Trinidad and Tobago World Cup player Chris Birchall who had previously been with Port Vale.

To that list they also signed Celtic's former Brighton defender Adam Virgo on loan, but the signings haven't stopped there and before the transfer deadline at the end of August he added two more players to his squad in forwards Kevin Kyle and Leon McKenzie from RK Sunderland and Wigan respectively. Those two players claimed over £1.56 million from the Operation Premiership fund.

In October they were back on Wearside taking Clive Clarke on loan whilst also capturing Richard Duffy, our former loan player, for a third time on loan from Portsmouth. The final signing was Ipswich Town's Darren Currie who made the move on loan deadline day with a view to a permanent transfer.

Needless to say there have been departures, and the most notable was Gary McSheffrey whose move to Birmingham brought in £4 million, if only we could have got him in the summer of 2005. James Scowcroft was sold to Palace for £500,000 and others to leave include Ady Williams and Andy Morrell whilst players such as Andrew Whing and Matt Heath are currently out on loan.

The season has been an average one so far and currently they sit just inside the top half of the table with 30 points from their 21 games. They are in a current run that has seen them go four games without defeat, the last team to beat Coventry were Derby County, that at the Ricoh.

It is clear their strength is at the back, only Stoke have conceded less goals this season but at the other end only Wolves and the bottom two in the league have scored less.

Click HERE to see all Coventry's results this season.

We used to have a decent record at Highfield Road, we won there more often than we lost, but we are still waiting for our first goal and our first point at the new stadium. Hopefully that will be tomorrow.

Coventry have players available again following their goalless draw at home to Stoke last week but they are also without a member of that team. Forwards Stern John and Kevin Kyle are back, John was a sub last week but has now fully recovered from a knee injury and Kyle is back having served a suspension after picking up his fifth yellow card.

John is the one expected to displace Leon McKenzie, to partner the very much in form Dele Adebola up front. At the back, Marcus Hall is the latest to face a suspension and that will bring about a reshuffle. Clive Clarke will move to full back, his place in the centre of midfield will go to Colin Cameron who moves from the right hand side. That should see Chris Birchall return on the right.

Ruled out with injury are Scottish international Don Hutchison, Kevin Thornton and David McNamee, and Jay Tabb has now been added to that list following a training ground injury.

Coventry are expected to line up: Andy Marshall, Richard Duffy, Elliott Ward, Robert Page, Clive Clarke, Chris Birchall, Michael Doyle, Colin Cameron, Darren Currie, Dele Adebola, Stern John. Subs: Rafael Gonzales-Robles, Mikkel Bischoff, Adam Virgo, Leon McKenzie, Kevin Kyle.

Click HERE to see the full Coventry squad.

I think it is very likely to be same again for Steve Cotterill who has nineteen of his players to choose from, the one exception being Andy Gray who is not expected to be fit to return until February.

He's indicated that Kyle Lafferty will again play up front with Gifton Noel-Williams in a side that should be:

Danny Coyne, Wayne Thomas, Michael Duff, John McGreal, Jon Harley, Wade Elliott, James O'Connor, Chris McCann, Steve Jones, Gifton Noel-Williams, Kyle Lafferty. Subs: Brian Jensen, Frank Sinclair, Stephen Foster, Micah Hyde, Alan Mahon.

This is one you really don't want reminding of. For those who were there, the one lasting memory will be the cold inside a football ground that appears to struggle from poor design, particularly on the less favourable days weather wise.

A good game, a good performance will make you feel warmer, this if anything made everyone feel colder. It was pretty dire stuff, and that from both sides, in the first half. Coventry though got better in the second half and scored just nine minutes in through Dele Adebola when emergency full back Wade Elliott was caught out in the air by James Scowcroft. You knew we wouldn't come back, and we didn't. It was defeat number three in that dreadful run of six losses.

Michael Duff played well, Frank Sinclair alongside him and Micah Hyde in midfield did OK. The rest of them had very disappointing games. This was the day Danny Karbassiyoon got his one chance, coming on in the first half for the injured Graham Branch. I'm not sure it was ever possible to impress in that performance.

Mind you, it was never going to be easy, look who was in midfield for Coventry. Yes the obnoxious little man now at Leeds, on this day he took over the refereeing duties from Eddie Ilderton, the one referee who is such a homer he even is on the Turf.

The teams were;

Coventry: Marton Fulop, Andrew Whing, Robert Page, Richard Shaw, Marcus Hall, Andy Morrell (Andy Impey 89), Dennis Wise, Micky Doyle, James Scowcroft, Dele Adebola, Stern John (Don Hutchison 89). Subs not used: Clayton Ince, Claus Jorgensen, Kevin Thornton.

Burnley: Brian Jensen, Wade Elliott (Kyle Lafferty 69), Michael Duff, Frank Sinclair, Jon Harley, John Spicer, James O'Connor (Gifton Noel-Williams 69), Micah Hyde, Chris McCann, Graham Branch (Danny Karbassiyoon 39), Michael Ricketts. Subs not used: Mark Crossley, Duane Courtney.