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This could have been an important game for us, but with wins hard to come by in recent weeks we've fallen some way short of the play offs and are now looking to claim our first top half finish for six years.
Our opponents Crystal Palace have everything to play for. It took manager Neil Warnock a few games before he found his first win after replacing the Legend in his own mind Peter Taylor. That win came on 24th November at Colchester and from that date only Stoke have picked up more points, and then only one more. It is a run that has taken them from next to bottom to sixth place in the league.
Surprisingly, given the manager, there was no rush to bring half a dozen strikers in during the January transfer window. His only signings were Neil Danns from Birmingham in a £600,000 and Shaun Derry who returned to Palace from Leeds on a free transfer.
More recently, on the last day of the loan window in March, he added three young players to his squad. Scott Sinclair had been on Burnley's wanted list but having had a loan at Charlton cancelled he joined Palace from Chelsea. The 19-year-old was joined by 20-year-old Kyel Reid from West Ham and 21-year-old Nathan Ashton from Fulham.
They've joined a young squad that currently boasts such as John Bostock (currently 16), Sean Scannell and Victor Moses who are both 17.
Palace's current form is good and although they lost last week at Hull they hadn't been beaten in any of their previous ten games with Wolves having beaten them at Selhurst Park in February.
Burnley beat Palace at Selhurst Park in both of our first two seasons back in this division. Graham Branch scored in a 1-0 win in 2000/01 season and the following season Ian Moore ended a goal drought to hit both in a 2-1 win.
Since that 2-1 win we haven't beaten Palace home or away in nine attempts although no fewer than seven of them have been draws including the last four meetings.
James Scowcroft is fit again after a hamstring injury which has seen him miss every game during April. He's unlikely to start but will almost certainly take a place on the subs bench. Defender Matt Lawrence though is expected to miss out despite having recovered from a hernia operation.
The likely Palace team is: Julian Speroni, Danny Butterfield, Clint Hill, Mark Hudson, Jose Fonte, Tom Soares, Shaun Derry, Ben Watson, Victor Moses, Scott Sinclair, Clinton Morrison. Subs from: Nathan Ashton, Lee Hills, John Bostock, Paul Ifill, Sean Scannell, Kyel Reid, James Scowcroft.
It is a case of checking to see who is available for the Clarets. Definitely out are Stanislav Varga (foot) and Kyle Lafferty (appendix), they were ruled out for the season a few weeks ago. Andrew Cole has no chance of playing after Darren Purse's horrendous challenge last week whilst Ade Akinbiyi won't play after suffering from chest pains.
To add to that, although Jay Rodriguez has now returned from Stirling Albion after their season came to an end he is ineligible after joining the Scottish club on a short term transfer.
The big news though is that Michael Duff will play his first game since he suffered a horrible injury in the home game against Palace. It was career threatening, no doubt about that, but he's come through and after a number of reserve games will take to the pitch for the first time in the first team. We'll have to wait and see whether he plays at right back or in the centre of the defence.
Bes Berisha has also been declared fit but Owen Coyle has said he won't play this season, not even in the reserves, but will be back for pre-season and ready to stake a claim for a place in the side.
I think he'll go with a 4-5-1 formation with Robbie Blake playing up front in a role he played with great success in the first half of the 2004/05 season, and with Wade Elliott and Alan Mahon in the wide positions supporting him.
Our team could be: Brian Jensen, Graham Alexander (or Michael Duff), Clarke Carlisle, Steven Caldwell (or Michael Duff), Stephen Jordan, Wade Elliott, James O'Connor, Joey Gudjonsson, Chris McCann, Alan Mahon, Robbie Blake. Subs from: Gabor Kiraly, David Unsworth, Graham Alexander or Steven Caldwell, Jon Harley, Mark Randall, John Spicer, Adam Kay, Alex MacDonald.
Burnley were in sparkling form, certainly in the first half, the last time we played at Selhurst Park in the opening weeks of the 2006/07 season but we ended the game hanging on for a point.
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Steve Jones and Kyle Lafferty flanked lone striker Andy Gray whilst behind them the midfield three of James O'Connor, Micah Hyde and Alan Mahon were getting forward to support the forward players.
The first goal matched the first half performance, it was quality. McGreal played the ball down the left touchline for Jones. He in turn got forward and cut into the box. It looked as if he would shoot but instead he delivered the perfect ball for Mahon who made no mistake.
A goal up at half time but it could have been more, and should have been, but the first few minutes of the second half belonged to Lafferty. He was berated by his team mates when Palace equalised, failing to deal with Palace defender Leon Cort. But no sooner had they equalised than Lafferty had put us back in front when he turned the ball in from close range.
Eventually Palace did what a Legend side do, the bombarded us with long ball after long ball, all aimed at Scowcroft. It eventually did the trick and he headed home for 2-2. From then there was only going to be one winner as they put us under enormous pressure.
We needed someone to stand up to it and we found him in Brian Jensen. He made three stunning saves to keep Palace out. He saved one down to his left, then tipped over a pile driver, but it was the one before those two from Jobi McAnuff that was the best of the lot.
2-2 it ended and it had been a cracker of a game. But we should have come home with more than a point after a first half performance as good as anything we'd seen from Burnley in some time.
The teams were;
Crystal Palace: Gabor Kiraly, Danny Granville, Leon Cort, Mark Hudson, Danny Butterfield, Carl Fletcher (Michael Hughes 59), Tom Soares, Mark Kennedy, Jobi McAnuff, James Scowcroft, Dougie Freedman (Clinton Morrison 77). Subs not used: Scott Flinders, Matt Lawrence, Marco Reich.
Burnley: Brian Jensen, Frank Sinclair, Michael Duff, John McGreal (Stephen Foster 45), Jon Harley, Micah Hyde, James O'Connor, Alan Mahon, Kyle Lafferty (Gifton Noel-Williams 72), Andy Gray, Steve Jones (Graham Branch 72). Subs not used: John Spicer, Wade Elliott.
Previous 20 Seasons | |||||
Season | Div | Ven | Result | Att | Scorers |
2000/01 | 1 | a | 1-0 | 18,531 | Branch |
| . | WC | h | 2-2 | 5,889 | Cooke Payton(pen) |
| . | WC | a | 1-1 | 5,720 | Cooke - lost on away goals |
| . | 1 | h | 1-2 | 14,973 | Cook |
2001/02 | 1 | h | 1-0 | 14,713 | Cook |
| . | . | a | 2-1 | 18,457 | Ian Moore(2) |
2002/03 | 1 | h | 0-0 | 12,407 | . |
| . | . | a | 1-1 | 16,344 | Taylor |
2003/04 | 1 | h | 2-3 | 12,976 | Blake Roche |
| . | . | a | 0-0 | 15,276 | . |
2005/06 | C | a | 0-2 | 20,127 | . |
| . | . | h | 0-0 | 11,449 | . |
2006/07 | C | a | 2-2 | 16,396 | Mahon Lafferty |
| . | . | h | 1-1 | 10,659 | Akinbiyi |
2007/08 | C | h | 1-1 | 10,711 | Blake |