Wigan at Turf Moor to complete Easter fixtures

The wait goes on. Once again there was nothing we could have done about it on Good Friday.

Had we beaten Middlesbrough a week last Saturday we would still have been in need of two points with Derby beating Huddersfield. And it is two points we need now to be mathematically certain after we won at Blackpool and Derby followed us with a 2-0 victory at Doncaster.

We are now in a position where we can be promoted no matter what anyone else does. Only Derby can catch us now but they can only, should they win their remaining three games, get one more point than we've already got.

That means two points are needed to ensure that return to the Premier League, and should they come today it will be four days short of four years since our relegation was confirmed after a home defeat against Liverpool in our, to date, only ever season in the Barclays Premier League (and do I get a payment for getting the sponsor in?).

It's always difficult over the holiday periods getting news ahead of each game, so quickly do they come, so there has been no output from Turf Moor since the Blackpool win other than interviews from Sean Dyche and Michael Kightly, the goalscorer, directly from Bloomfield Road.

It was a good day out at the seaside, but that's been and gone now. We are back home for the 44th game of the season against Wigan. We made three substitutions during the game on Friday but none of the three players replaced, Kightly, Dean Marney and Danny Ings, were due to injuries so there is nothing to suspect we won't field the same team today for Wigan's first visit to Turf Moor at this level since Graham Branch gave us a 1-0 win over the Christmas period in 2004.

I expect our team to be: Tom Heaton, Kieran Trippier, Michael Duff, Jason Shackell, Ben Mee, Michael Kightly, Dean Marney, David Jones, Scott Arfield, Danny Ings, Ashley Barnes. Subs: Alex Cisak, Kevin Long, Chris Baird, David Edgar, Ross Wallace, Junior Stanislas, Keith Treacy.

Wigan are back in the Championship this season after suffering relegation a year ago following eight seasons as a Premier League club.

They lost manager Roberto Martinez to Everton in the summer and duly appointed former Burnley boss Owen Coyle who quickly got on with the task of rebuilding the squad for an immediate return to the top flight.

It didn't work. The fans quickly turned on him and owner Dave Whelan, the former Blackburn full back, had some harsh things to say before appointing Brentford boss Uwe Rösler. Since his appointment in early December things have certainly looked up.

They've averaged two points per game in their last 24 games and that's lifted them into fifth place in the table. They still need points to be assured a place in the end of season play-offs but it would be a big surprise now if they weren't in there.

Back in December, after our 0-0 draw there, Sean Dyche suggested they had what he considered to be the best squad in the division. It's certainly a bigger squad than we have and that will allow them to rotate their squad from the team that played in the 3-0 Good Friday win against Reading.

Rösler has been full of praise for the Clarets. "They are well organised and they have a very good foundation of fitness which allows them to play high intensity," he said: "I think they play a different style of football to us, but they are very effective and they have three strikers who are on another level.

"They added well in January to get Ashley Barnes in from Brighton, a top striker in our division and at that time of the year I think that was very good business. Having those consistent goal scorers and being rock solid all over the pitch is the recipe for promotion."

Wigan's Good Friday line up, which might not be a clue to today, was: Ali Al Habsi, James Perch, Jean Beausejour, James McArthur, Emmerson Boyce, Leon Barnett, Espinoza (Jack Collison), Jordi Gomez, Martyn Waghorn (Nick Powell), Callum McManaman, Shaun Maloney (Fortune). Subs: Scott Carson, James McClean, Nicky Maynard, Rob Kiernan.

Last Time They Were Here

Wigan were the first team to take points at Turf Moor in our Premier League season of 2009/10. We'd beaten all of Manchester United, Everton, Sunderland and Birmingham before Wigan arrived as our fifth home opponents.

We'd sort of become expectant of picking up home points and for this one Owen Coyle left out David Nugent, a player who he rarely gave a start to, and replaced him with Chris Eagles for his first start of the season.

Steven Fletcher gave us the lead

With less than four minutes gone our little magician on the left, Robbie Blake, received a throw in from Stephen Jordan. His ball into the box was superb and was converted by Steven Fletcher for his second goal of the season.

Wigan came back at us and Brian Jensen made one save with his feet, but the next time he was involved saw the visitors level the score and the goalkeeper's game come to an end.

There was absolutely no danger as a ball came into the box, but, for some reason, Jensen hesitated, slipped and in doing so presented Hugo Rodallega with an empty net and he duly converted.

Jensen required treatment and it was some time before he was back to his feet. With only the Peruvian Diego Penny on the bench we were desperate for him to continue and he did, but he was limping around badly and the decision looked a ridiculous one.

To be fair to Penny he'd saved two penalties in a reserve game that week and within no time, with Jensen clearly unable to continue, he came on for his second and last league appearance for Burnley.

The rest of the first half was scrappy and the score remained at 1-1 but Wigan were in front very early in the second half after Eagles had missed a golden opportunity to restore our lead.

The Wigan goal was a simple one. Jason Scotland played a ball inside Clarke Carlisle for Rodallega to run on to and scored his second via the foot of the post.

The game went our way then and we put them under some tremendous pressure, but they held out and then got a third from a corner as Andre Bikey just stood and watched Emmerson Boyce head home.

The realities of Burnley in the Premier League had finally reached Turf Moor and there were to be only three more home wins all season.

The teams were;

Burnley: Brian Jensen (Diego Penny 15), Tyrone Mears, Clarke Carlisle, Steven Caldwell, Stephen Jordan, Graham Alexander, Andre Bikey (Kevin McDonald 82), Chris Eagles, Wade Elliott, Robbie Blake (David Nugent 67), Steven Fletcher. Subs not used: Michael Duff, Joey Gudjonsson, Fernando Guerrero, Steven Thompson.

Wigan: Chris Kirkland, Mario Melchiot, Titus Bramble, Emerson Boyce, Maynor Figueroa (Jordi Gomez 28), Hendry Thomas, Paul Scharner (Marlon King 78), Mohamed Diame, Charles N'Zogbia, Jason Scotland, Hugo Rodallega. Subs not used: Mike Pollitt, Olivier Kapo, Jason Koumas, Won-Hee Cho, Scott Sinclair.

Previous Games against Wigan

Click HERE to see all previous results against Wigan