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This tough run of away games continues. Four of our last five league games have been away from home and tonight's is followed by Preston a week on Saturday with a cup tie at West Ham thrown in between them.
It might not be unprecedented but it is not often we've had this situation although Adrian Heath, in 1996, started his management at Burnley with five of his first six games away from home.
Cardiff couldn't be tougher either. They are back in the automatic promotion places and we are visiting a city where we've had precious little success in the last decade. If you look down at the recent previous results you'll see a win there in our 1999/200o promotion season but little else since.
Cardiff were promoted into this division in 2003 and have won all home games against us since. We've only managed to find the net twice in those six games through Ade Akinbiyi and Robbie Blake.
Never has the timing been better. We haven't won anywhere in Wales since that victory in 200 but a win now would edge us ever closer to that top six and give us a really good platform for the remainder of the season.
It will be our first ever visit to the new Cardiff City Stadium. It won't feel quite right not being stood behind that goal at Ninian Park.
Cardiff have been a club with troubles over recent years but when you see that Sam Hammam and then Peter Ridsdale were involved it probably comes as no surprise. Last summer they got foreign investment and saw the end of Ridsdale which has allowed them to build a stronger squad, and make use of the loan market.
Whilst there were strong rumours that such as Jay Bothroyd, Pete Whittingham and former Newcastle striker Michael Chopra would all go it was just the opposite as they brought some high profile loan players in on deals that led to serious questions from elsewhere.
Those loans included the likes of Craig Bellamy from Manchester City with his parent club funding a large percentage of his wage. Whilst not in the same category there were similar deals for Seyi Olofinjana, Jason Koumas and Andy Keogh although Keogh has since moved on to another loan deal at Bristol City.
January saw them bring in two players from Arsenal on loan. One of them was Aaron Ramsey who has previously played for Cardiff and he's been joined by Jay Emmanuel-Thomas. The last window also saw them sign Preston's Jon Parkin in a £100,000 deal.
Cardiff are unbeaten since New Year's Day when the suffered a surprise 3-0 defeat at Bristol City. Since then they've won four and drawn two of their league games.
Having faced the league's leading goalscorer, Danny Graham, on Saturday we now come up against the next highest in Jay Bothroyd. He scored in both games against us in the 2008/09 season.
Dave Jones has no injury problems ahead of the game, in fact his squad is stronger than Saturday with the return of Pete Whittingham who missed out on Saturday with a dead leg. He could come in for Jay Emmanuel-Thomas.
Jones has also revealed that Jason Koumas is now at full fitness. He came on as a substitute on Saturday and created the only goal against Scunthorpe for Seyi Olofinjana.
The big question mark is over Craig Bellamy. He usually requires a few days rest after a game because of ongoing knee problems but Jones said he is keen to play in this game.
Their team against Scunthorpe was: Tom Heaton, Dekel Keinan, Kevin McNaughton, Paul Quinn, Mark Hudson, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, Aaron Ramsey, Seyi Olofinjana, Craig Bellamy, Michael Chopra, Jay Bothroyd. Subs: David Marshall, Gabor Gyepes, Stephen McPhail, Darcy Blake, Chris Burke, Jason Koumas, Jon Parkin.
Eddie Howe can welcome Charlie Austin back into the squad for tonight's game after he returned to training yesterday after suffering from a throat problem yesterday. That leaves us with only long term injury victims Chris McCann and Martin Paterson missing.
Will Austin start? I think it's likely he'll be on the bench with Chris Iwelumo retaining his place after an excellent performance at Watford on Saturday. Iwelumo is not popular with the Cardiff crowd after playing there for Stoke in a play off game. The Stoke players had to remain in the dressing room for four hours after the game such was the animosity towards them that day.
I'd expect us to start with the same eleven as started at Watford and we are likely to line up: Lee Grant, Tyrone Mears, Clarke Carlisle, Michael Duff, Danny Fox, Chris Eagles, Jack Cork, Dean Marney, Ross Wallace, Chris Iwelumo, Jay Rodriguez. Subs from: Brian Jensen, Andre Bikey, Brian Easton, Graham Alexander, Marvin Bartley, Wade Elliott, Steven Thompson, Charlie Austin.
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We went into the game having won five and drawn two of our previous seven games and we started this one well. We were much the better side for most of the first half without probably created enough in the way of goalscoring opportunities.
However, in the closing minutes of the half it turned round and Cardiff started to come into the game for the first time. By the time referee Lee Probert blew for half time it was us who were probably best pleased to hear the whistle.
It was more even in the second half and for most of it the game looked to be heading for a 0-0 draw. Then we made a substitution that just about changed the game. It wasn't just that Joey Gudjonsson came on for Graham Alexander, it was more that another three or four players were shuffled round to change things.
We looked confused and within a couple of minutes we were a goal behind as Jay Bothroyd scored. There was just about a quarter of an hour left but unfortunately there was no real response from the Clarets.
There was some real justice when the equaliser did come out of the blue from an under hit back pass from Darren Purse. Robbie Blake was on to it and with six minutes to go we were back in it at 1-1.
Cardiff restarted but hardly dejected and in around seven seconds, yes just seven seconds, they were back in front. Elation turned to despair in the away end as Ross McCormack made it 2-1 with most Burnley fans still celebrating Robbie's goal.
We brought on Michael Duff for Jay Rodriguez and in fairness we really went for it to try and get a second equaliser, but instead it was McCormack who got a second and that was that.
The 3-1 defeat proved to be our last defeat of the season but as we left the ground that day, and with other results having gone against us, a promotion celebration felt that little bit less likely.
The teams were;
Cardiff: Stuart Taylor, Kevin McNaughton, Gabor Gyepes, Darren Purse, Mark Kennedy, Ross McCormack, Stephen McPhail, Gavin Rae, Joe Ledley, Jay Bothroyd (Eddie Johnson 86), former Newcastle striker Michael Chopra (Peter Whittingham 64). Subs not used: Tom Heaton, Miguel Comminges, Chris Burke.
Burnley: Brian Jensen, Rhys Williams, Clarke Carlisle, Steven Caldwell, Christian Kalvenes, Graham Alexander (Joey Gudjonsson 73), Chris Eagles, Wade Elliott, Chris McCann, Robbie Blake, Jay Rodriguez (Michael Duff 87). Subs not used: Diego Penny, Kevin McDonald, Alex MacDonald.
Previous 20 Seasons | |||||
Season | Div | Ven | Result | Att | Scorers |
1990/91 | 4 | h | 2-1 | 6,348 | Deary Francis |
| . | . | a | 0-3 | 3,591 | . |
1991/92 | 4 | a | 2-0 | 16,030 | Randall Conroy |
| . | . | h | 3-1 | 12,408 | Painter Farrell Conroy |
1993/94 | 1 | h | 2-0 | 11,276 | Philliskirk Francis |
| . | . | a | 1-2 | 5,469 | Davis |
1999/2000 | 2 | h | 2-1 | 9,753 | Armstrong Johnrose |
. | . | a | 2-1 | 6,487 | Davis Payton |
2003/04 | 1 | h | 1-1 | 10,866 | Chaplow |
| . | . | a | 0-2 | 13,525 | . |
2004/05 | C | h | 1-0 | 11,200 | Chaplow |
. | . | a | 0-2 | 11,562 | . |
2005/06 | C | h | 3-3 | 10,431 | Elliott(2) J O'Connor |
| . | . | a | 0-3 | 10,872 | . |
2006/07 | C | a | 0-1 | 15,744 | . |
. | . | h | 2-0 | 11,347 | Jones McVeigh |
2007/08 | C | a | 1-2 | 12,914 | Akinbiyi |
| . | . | h | 3-3 | 10,694 | Alexander Cole Carlisle |
2008/09 | C | h | 2-2 | 11,230 | Blake Thompson |
. | . | a | 1-3 | 19,379 | Blake |