The crucial goal was the first, a Sam Vokes' header within a minute of Millwall's second with the equaliser coming ten minutes into the second half when home defender Shane Lowry turned a Michael Kightly shot into his own net.
It was a game that I was relieved to get to in time and one from which the journey home was somewhat tedious and longer than expected. The Supporters' Club weekend trip had endured a journey of over eight hours on Friday and the team had suffered a seven hour coach trip.
For us it wasn't quite so bad. Had it been so we wouldn't have got anywhere near but there was a panic caused by an accident on the M25 and the subsequent tail backs. It forced us to go anti-clockwise from the M1 to the M40 and then into London on the A40 and past QPR before crossing Waterloo Bridge.
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| Scott Arfield was in outstanding form on his return from injury |
At one point, when we hit long queues on the last stretch of the M25 there was some real concern but thankfully we managed to pull up outside around five past two.
There was good and bad news greeting us on our arrival. The good news was that both Scott Arfield and David Jones were back. Arfield had missed the previous two games and Jones was ruled out of the West Ham game serving a suspension although wouldn't have played in any case due to an injury he picked up in the West Ham game.
They came back in for the suspended Keith Treacy and Brian Stock while Michael Kightly, rested on Tuesday, returned at the expense of Junior Stanislas.
The bad news for Burnley was that of Dean Marney's absence; David Edgar retaining his place in the absence of the influential midfielder. In the only other change, Michael Duff returned after sitting out the cup tie.
Burnley started well and in the opening minutes the Millwall defence looked very vulnerable. We won one corner and would have had a second but for a shocking error by the assistant on our right hand side.
Our hopes of exposing their defence soon evaporated as Millwall took command although they were forced into an early change when Scott Malone suffered what looks like a serious injury while fouling Kightly.
Shane Lowry came on for him but much of the play was down at the far end from where the Burnley fans were situated, towards Tom Heaton's goal in what was proving to be one of our more difficult starts to a game this season.
In those situations you have to make the most of your opportunities, and one came our way when Danny Ings got clear down the left. He cut into the box but, with options available to him, made a mess of things and saw a poor shot blocked.
It proved crucial. Millwall went straight down to the other end and took the lead when former Middlesbrough forward Scott McDonald hammered home when the ball dropped to him in the box.
It was something of a shock. It had been ten weeks since we were last behind in a league game, but, another Ings opportunity apart, there was no real response from the strangely subdued Clarets.
What we couldn't afford was to concede another goal, and as the game continued in Millwall's favour I offered the suggestion that we needed to get to half time at 1-0 and hopefully get things sorted out.
Unfortunately, I was forced to eat my words almost immediately. There was a scramble following a Millwall corner. It was eventually punched out by Heaton but straight to man mountain Danny Shittu whose shot deflected off Sam Vokes and we were staring down the barrel of a defeat at 2-0 down and still with seven minutes or so of the first half remaining.
In those situations you need something to go your way and to go your way quickly. It did, and it was quick. Ings and Kieran Trippier linked up well down the right for Trippier to cross. It got the slightest of deflections of a defender's head at the near post for Vokes to head home from just a few yards out and it was a more difficult header than it first looked.
That goal came 47 seconds after Millwall's second and what a lift it gave us. The home side wondered what had hit them and by half time we might not just have equalised but even gone in front so much were we on top in those closing minutes.
Much was still needed as we went in at half time 2-1 down. We didn't know it at the time but the Millwall threat was all but over. They offered precious little in the second half as Burnley returned to the sort of form that has seen us grab and hold top spot for over a calendar month.
It took us ten minutes to wipe out their lead. Ings fed Kightly down the left and the loan man did the rest, or most of the rest. He got the better of Jack Smith who did all he could to pull Kightly down.
Once away he moved to the edge of the box before aiming his shot towards the far right hand corner of the net. It's hard to say where it would have gone, but my belief is that, had no one else played it, Millwall would have had a goal kick.
Thankfully substitute Lowry did touch it and turned it into his own net. From two goals behind we were level again and set about trying to win it.
The nearest we came was ten minutes after the goal. Arfield, once again in outstanding form for the Clarets, got onto the ball just inside the box and hammered his shot towards goal. It bounced out rather than in but Vokes was first onto it, going down in the box under a challenge from Nicky Bailey.
It was down at the far end so impossible for us to see, but it ended with referee Phil Gibbs strangely yellow carding both Vokes and Bailey. I've seen it since and there is no doubt that Bailey has clipped him and the correct decision would have been a penalty.
For much of the remainder of the game it was Burnley looking the only likely side to win it. In front of us Heaton was having a quiet period while, at times, we put the Millwall defence under some pressure.
I don't think we created a clear cut chance and by the final whistle it had all petered out somewhat with both sides looking happy to get the point.
No matter which way you choose to look at it, this was a good point. To be 2-0 down away from home and get something is always very much a good point. It's all but two years since we did that; on that occasion coming from 2-0 down at Hull to win 3-2 and prior to that it was the 4-2 win at QPR when Andrew Cole scored a hat trick.
It wasn't classic Burnley. We've certainly played far, far better this season than we did in the first 38 minutes or so yesterday. But, despite that, we have still come home with a point.
That just left us with the task of getting home. It was a trouble free journey once past the Olympic Stadium. The only problem was that it took us two hours to get there from The Den.
At least it's a home game next week with a journey of not much over two miles for me.
The teams were;
Millwall: David Forde, Jack Smith, Danny Shittu, Paul Robinson, Scott Malone (Shane Lowry 7), Shaun Derry (Liam Feeney 57), Nicky Bailey, Martyn Waghorn (Steve Morison 67), Liam Trotter, Martyn Woolford, Scott McDonald. Subs not used: Stephen Bywater, Alan Dunne, Jermaine Easter, Andy Keogh.
Yellow Cards: Nicky Bailey, Scott McDonald.
Burnley: Tom Heaton, Kieran Trippier, Michael Duff, Jason Shackell, Ben Mee, Scott Arfield, David Edgar, David Jones, Michael Kightly (Brian Stock 83), Danny Ings, Sam Vokes. Subs not used: Alex Cisak, Kevin Long, Danny Lafferty, Steven Hewitt, Junior Stanislas, Ryan Noble.
Yellow Cards: David Edgar, Sam Vokes, Brian Stock.
Referee: Phil Gibbs (West Midlands).
Attendance: 10,168 (including 1,077 Clarets).