Terry Pashley's Claret & Blue Army

I don't think anyone could have predicted what would happen last time we played at home against Sheffield Wednesday. It was the following day that Bournemouth sacked manager Paul Groves and Eddie Howe's time at Burnley was coming to an end.

Ahead of the Millwall game, Howe said we were facing a big week in the season. We'd three games in eight days but picked up only two of the nine points available. That big week ended with us looking for a new manager. That's still in progress and that means that Terry Pashley stands in as caretaker manager.

Chris McCann, the training has been good

It's not the first time Pash has been involved with the first team but, despite reports to the contrary this week, it's the first time he's been caretaker manager. He's assisted Clive Middlesmass, Martin Dobson and Stuart Gray previously when we've been in the same situation and earlier this year supported Jason Tindall in Howe's absence.

Now, he'll be the man picking the team for the first ever time. It's fantastic for him and so fully deserved. He returned to Turf Moor at the end of his playing career, initially to run the community scheme, and became youth coach in 1992 at a time when the club was still in the Fourth Division.

Alongside him will be his trusted assistant Andy Farrell, another to give great service to the club. I know both of them and I reckon the players will have enjoyed the last four days working with them even allowing for Farrell's constant wind ups.

One player in the first team squad who knows Pashley better than most is Chris McCann. He came through the youth system under Pashley's guidance and said: "Terry has taken over and the training has been good. We have picked up some positives this week and hopefully we can take those into the game and we are all just looking forward to Saturday."

Looking at the game, McCann added: "It's a massive game for us and not only for us, but for the fans as well. They need something to scream and shout about.

"Although our performances have been okay in the first half of games, the second half hasn't really been great so we want to really give them something to really shout about for the full 90 minutes and there's no better game than in a local derby."

Pashley has said he'll go with his gut feelings and how the players have trained when it comes to picking the team. I can't see there being many changes but I suspect David Edgar, who has been away on international duty and hasn't trained with Pashley, might miss out.

With Michael Duff fit, it might be the only change to the team that lost 4-3 at Crystal Palace in Howe's last game in charge.

Danny Ings is back in full training. I don't envisage him starting but he might just force his way onto the bench.

We could line up: Lee Grant, Kieran Trippier, Michael Duff, Jason Shackell, Ben Mee, Ross Wallace, Dean Marney, Chris McCann, Junior Stanislas, Martin Paterson, Charlie Austin. Subs from: Brian Jensen, Luke O'Neill, David Edgar, Joseph Mills, Brian Stock, Marvin Bartley, Cameron Stewart, Danny Ings, Sam Vokes.

Blackpool set off like a steam train. Although they fell at the first hurdle in the Capital One Cup, losing at home to Morecambe, they won each of their first three league games.

They were immediately being billed as promotion certainties but, this division being this division, things haven't gone quite so well since with only two wins in their last seven games.

Although nothing like us when it comes to conceding goals, they haven't kept a clean sheet in those seven games and have conceded at least two goals in each of their last four games.

It's left them in eighth placed in the table. They have five points more than Burnley at this stage and will be looking to get back to winning and hoping for a place back in the top six.

Manager Ian Holloway makes use of his squad and constantly makes changes to the side, win or lose, so it is always difficult to ascertain who might and who might not play. The one thing we do know is that they have a fully fit squad with all of former Burnley loan player Nathan Delfouneso, Matt Gilks, Tom Ince and Matt Phillips all returning from international duty with no problems.

Two weeks ago they played at Charlton. There team that day was: 1. Matt Gilks, 5. Neal Eardley, 15. Alex Baptiste, 6. Ian Evatt, 3. Stephen Crainey, 16. Barry Ferguson, 18. Isaiah Osbourne (38. Nouha Dicko 66), 8. Tiago Gomes (11. Tom Ince 52), 12. Gary Taylor-Fletcher, 40. Nathan Delfouneso (9. Kevin Phillips 62), 7. Matt Phillips. Subs not used: 21. Mark Halstead, 14. Ludovic Sylvestre, 20. Craig Cathcart, 31. Angel Martinez.

Last Time They Were Here

Our home game last season against Blackpool was voted the best home performance of the season on Clarets Mad, and it was definitely deserving of that accolade.

In front of the Sky cameras, just as this season's game is. Although we'd won the previous league game, coming from behind to beat ten man Coventry at the Ricoh, we weren't in any sort of form and had gone out of the Carling Cup after an awful performance at Cardiff in midweek. Blackpool went into the game very much as favourites.

Charlie Austin was restore after being on the bench for the previous two league games and, at the back, Andre Amougou was dropped with Ben Mee preferred.

First Burnley goal for Marvin Bartley

Blackpool started the better and twice got the better of Brian Easton down our left hand side. On the second occasion, Easton injured himself in trying to recover his error and  was forced off. Two minutes later, with only nine minutes gone, Amougou was back in the action with Mee switched to left back.

Almost immediately the play improved and we started to move the ball quickly and started to cause Blackpool problems. Twice we came close to taking the lead but on 20 minutes we did just that. 

Ross Wallace and Junior Stanislas combined at a right wing corner and the latter hit over the perfect cross for Austin to open the scoring with a diving header.

Blackpool had no answer as Burnley poured forward and when Stephen Crainey handled just outside the box it as 2-0 as Wallace brilliantly hit the free kick into the top corner. Blackpool were 2-0 down and should have been a man down. It remains a mystery how referee Michael Oliver didn't send off Crainey.

They should even have been down to nine men too when Jonjo Shelvey for a challenge on Mee that was a real bad one. It was reckless, could have caused Mee  a serious injury, but it was only a yellow card.

Burnley continued to be the better side throughout and Marvin Bartley, with his first Burnley goal, made it 3-0 after collecting the ball from Austin.

Just before the end it should have been 4-0 but Austin missed an absolute sitter. I wrote then: "Strikers miss chances, that's what they do, but they are always there when the next chance comes along.

"Austin has scored goals now in seven of our thirteen league games this season. That's an impressive return and I'm convinced there is a lot more to come from him."

What should have been 4-0, became 3-1 when a David Edgar error in stoppage time gifted Shelvey a goal, but this was an outstanding performance from Burnley, one that we didn't better at home all season.

The teams were;

Burnley: Lee Grant, Kieran Trippier, David Edgar, Ben Mee, Brian Easton (Andre Amougou 9), Ross Wallace (Dean Marney 88), Marvin Bartley, Chris McCann, Junior Stanislas (Keith Treacy 75), Charlie Austin, Jay Rodriguez. Subs not used: Jon Stewart, Zavon Hines.

Blackpool: Matt Gilks, Alex Baptiste, Craig Cathcart, Ian Evatt, Stephen Crainey, Jonjo Shelvey, Barry Ferguson, Keith Southern, Tom Ince (Callum McManaman 73), Kevin Phillips (Tresor Lomana Lua Lua 73), Brett Ormerod (Daniel Bogdanovic 73). Subs not used: Mark Howard, Neal Eardley.

Previous Games against Blackpool

Click HERE to see all previous results against Blackpool