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Trips to the Windy City and an encounter with Pulisball have in the past generally been successful afternoons for the Clarets and incredibly our only defeat there in the league was in the season when Tony Pulis was managing Plymouth.
This season they have really gone for it. Again they have made extensive use of the loan market, and in January whilst others dithered they went out and splashed around £4.5 million in new players to strengthen their hand.
Leon Cort and Ryan Shawcross, the two central defenders, were already there on loan, as was Preston's Danny Pugh. But all three of them made their moves to Stoke permanent ones. They were joined by full back Andy Griffin who finally rejoined his old club on a permanent basis and Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Glenn Whelan. Apparently they blew us out of the water with wages, or so we are told.
It has not stopped Pulis making further loan signings. Paul Gallagher, who scored the winner against us two years ago, has returned from Blackburn. They also took RK Sunderland goalkeeper Marton Fulop but when he was recalled within days Pulis moved for Carlo Nash. To add to that they signed Chris Riggott last week from Middlesbrough, he and Nash coming in on deals right up to the play offs.
Stoke go into the game having suffered consecutive defeats at Preston and QPR. However, they also go into the game on the back of five consecutive home wins. The last time they dropped points at home was on New Year's Day when Hull got a 0-0 draw and they were last beaten at home by Sheffield United in November.
It really has been a good ground for Burnley has the Britannia Stadium and to date in league action we have won five, drawn one and lost one of seven games. After Tuesday we desperately need to get yet another positive result there. We are already just on the fringes of the play offs, another defeat could leave us with a mountain to climb.
The good news for Tony Pulis is that Andy Griffin is available, and rightly so. He was sent off in their last game, the 3-0 defeat at QPR, by referee Andy D'Urso. But it was a ridiculous decision and Stoke appealed. After D'Urso admitted he'd got it wrong the FA rescinded it and Griffin is free to play.
He does have doubts about two of his regular starting line up. It is believed that both goalkeeper Steve Simonsen and Leon Barnett could be ruled out, but that will just give his two latest signings Carlo Nash and Chris Riggott the opportunity to make their debuts. Even if out of the starting eleven Simonsen is expected to be fit enough for the bench.
They also have both Dominic Matteo and Marlon Broomes back from injury although neither are expected to start. In midfield there's good and bad news. Rory Delap returns from a one match ban but Glenn Whelan starts a two match ban and missed the game against the club he could have joined.
Expect Stoke to line up: Carlo Nash, Andy Griffin, Chris Riggott, Ryan Shawcross, Danny Pugh, Liam Lawrence, Salif Diao, Rory Delap, Richard Cresswell, Ricardo Fuller, Mamady Sidibe. Subs from: Steve Simonsen, Marlon Broomes, Paul Gallagher, Lewis Buxton, Andy Wilkinson, Dominic Matteo, Jon Parkin.
The one thing we can guarantee with the Clarets this afternoon is that there will be changes to the side that started against Hull. For a start Chris McCann is ruled out with a thigh injury that is expected to keep him out for at least three games, if not more.
Add to that Steven Caldwell is suspended whilst one of Tuesday's substitutes Joey Gudjonsson joins his captain after both were sent off by referee Mike Riley at the KC Stadium.
It won't end there, and I would be very surprised to see either Brian Jensen or Kyle Lafferty in the starting line up following their recent performances. Both were singled out again by the manager who was clearly angry at the first goal, particularly given that he'd back Jensen following a similar gaffe at Plymouth. He also had harsh words for Lafferty and missing our best chance of the game.
It will spell a return for Gabor Kiraly and I suspect Mark Randall will get his much awaited first start although the youngster hardly impressed either as a late substitute or in the reserve game on Wednesday.
One player who did impress in the reserves was Alan Mahon and he could come back into the reckoning, although I suspect it might be via the bench, whilst surely it will be David Unsworth who plays in the centre of defence with Jon Harley, a dad again, back in at left back.
We could start: Gabor Kiraly, Graham Alexander, Clarke Carlisle, David Unsworth, Jon Harley, Wade Elliott, James O'Connor, Mark Randall, Robbie Blake, Ade Akinbiyi, Andrew Cole. Subs from: Brian Jensen, Stanislav Varga, Stephen Jordan, John Spicer, Alan Mahon, Kyle Lafferty.
Gifton Noel-Williams was back in the Burnley team last time we travelled to Stoke. He'd turned in two good performances as a substitute against Colchester and Barnsley, hitting a hat trick in the latter, and had earned his place.
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Stoke tried to get back into the game by knocking balls up to Mamady Sidibe, but Burnley were wise to it and it had no effect. It led to the home side getting impatient and that resulted in one or two nasty challenges.
The nearest we came to another goal during the first half was a shot from Wade Elliott, but in the first couple of minutes of the second half Brian Jensen had to be alert to keep out a shot.
It was soon Burnley back in control. Duff just failed to get onto a Gifton cross and then Gifton was all set to double the lead following a superb ball from Wade but was fouled and the chance was gone.
Stoke did put us under some late pressure but Wayne Thomas and John McGreal stood firm against the bombardment and when Chris Foy blew his final whistle we'd picked up another three well earned points away from home.
It had been another excellent away performance and that left us unbeaten in the first four away games of the season with two wins and two draws. Andy Gray got the goal, Gifton had a good game and Micah Hyde was in outstanding form in the midfield.
The teams were;
Stoke: Steve Simonsen, Andy Griffin, Michael Duberry, Clint Hill, Danny Higginbotham, Luke Chadwick (Adam Rooney 74), Darel Russell, Dave Brammer, Peter Sweeney (Carl Hoefkens 63), Mamady Sidibe, Sammy Bangoura (Martin Paterson 43). Subs not used: Robert Duggan, Anthony Pulis.
Burnley: Brian Jensen, Michael Duff, Wayne Thomas, John McGreal, Jon Harley, Wade Elliott (Frank Sinclair 90), James O'Connor, Micah Hyde, Steve Jones (Chris McCann 87), Andy Gray, Gifton Noel-Williams (Kyle Lafferty 90). Subs not used: Stephen Foster, John Spicer.
Previous 20 Seasons | |||||
Season | Div | Ven | Result | Att | Scorers |
1990/91 | FAC | h | 2-0 | 12,949 | Francis White |
1992/93 | 2 | h | 0-2 | 16,667 | . |
| . | . | a | 1-1 | 21,840 | Randall |
1994/95 | 1 | h | 1-1 | 15,331 | Davis |
| . | . | a | 0-2 | 13,040 | . |
1997/98 | LC | h | 0-4 | 4,175 | . |
| . | . | a | 0-2 | 6,041 | . |
1998/99 | 2 | h | 0-2 | 10,575 | . |
| . | . | a | 4-1 | 10,965 | Pickering Payton Little(2) |
1999/2000 | 2 | h | 1-0 | 11,328 | Payton |
| . | . | a | 2-2 | 15,354 | Payton(2 1pen) |
2002/03 | 1 | h | 2-1 | 14,244 | Gnohere Papadopoulos |
. | . | a | 1-0 | 12,874 | West |
2003/04 | 1 | a | 2-1 | 14,876 | May Chadwick |
| . | . | h | 0-1 | 12,812 | . |
2004/05 | C | h | 2-2 | 12,981 | Moore Blake(pen) |
. | . | a | 1-0 | 15,689 | Cahill |
2005/06 | C | h | 1-0 | 17,912 | Akinbiyi |
| . | . | a | 0-1 | 12,082 | . |
2006/07 | C | a | 1-0 | 12,247 | Gray |
| . | . | a | 0-1 | 12,109 | . |
2007/08 | C | h | 0-0 | 11,758 | . |
