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Three days later there were just about half a dozen of us waiting to board the Supporters Club coach interrupted by Tom opening up the club shop. Somehow QPR away hadn't quite captured the imagination that the Chelsea tie had.
The journey down was reasonably uneventful and most of the conversation was of penalty shoot outs, Ade Akinbiyi, Stamford Bridge and of course the draw that was scheduled for early afternoon. Driving past Wembley was a reminder and the suggestion that we could yet play there four times this season was commented on.
Eventually the coach turned into South Africa Road and we were there in plenty of time. There was chance to have a chat with other Burnley fans, including the club's former Media boss Edoardo Abis who I still can't quite imagine as Captain Bertorelli. It was good to see you Ed.
The Metropolitan Police were leafleting Burnley fans going into the ground having stepped up their investigation into the coin throwing at Chelsea and we were all searched going into the ground and the most expensive seats for away fans in the entire Football League.
My one concern ahead of kick off was whether the current Lord Mayor of London Ian Luder had been able to make it. So often the big occasions are followed by an 'after the Lord Mayor's Show' that we really didn't want that.
There were no surprises in Owen Coyle's team selection. Clarke Carlisle returned for the suspended Steven Caldwell who had been otherwise engaged hitting his shot on target on Soccer AM's Road to Rome game. In the only other change Steven Thompson left his guitar in the dressing room and came back for Martin Paterson who was on an experienced bench that saw both Ade Akinbiyi and Alan Mahon retain their places.
I'd said all along that the week's league games were more important than Chelsea (although it certainly didn't feel that way at around 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday) and having lost at Wolves we really needed to get something from this one.
We started brightly enough and took the game to the home side and QPR got themselves a first minute yellow card for a bad looking foul on Chris Eagles by Peter Ramage. However, the early initiative didn't last and QPR started to come into the game and took the lead on thirteen minutes.
Dexter Blackstock and Lee Cook linked up well down the left and when the winger played Blackstock in his shot nutmegged Michael Duff and past Brian Jensen into the corner. This led to a spell of sustained home pressure and we were thankful for a mixture of good defending and good fortune in keeping their lead to one goal.
We were looking to get forward but a second QPR goal looked the more likely outcome as they gave us a testing time. Then, out of the blue we equalised and the whole game turned on its head.
We'd had a couple of attacks that had come to nothing but that all changed when Joey Gudjonsson played the ball forward to Robbie Blake. I don't know how often I've written this but once again it was pure Robbie. He turned and hit a left foot shot with such power that Radek Cerny didn't have time to move let alone save it. It was a real stunner of a finish.
The rest of the first half was all Burnley. Eagles, Chris McCann and Gudjonsson all tested Cerny and just about every time we went forward the home side looked worried.
In the end it was QPR who were relieved to hear the half time whistle but little did they know that things weren't going to get any better for them when they returned.
We started the second half with some of the best football I've seen the Clarets play all season. Eagles and Blake were simply brilliant as they repeatedly caused QPR problems. They combined to set up McCann who would have scored but for some superb defending and then Eagles himself came so, so close to a goal of his own.
Wade Elliott got in on the act with a shot that Cerny, who was surely QPR's man of the match, parried away as we pushed and pushed for that second goal.
QPR came back and forced Jensen into a save but the worst news for Burnley was seeing Eagles' afternoon come to an end when he was stretchered off after a challenge after he'd gone back to help out defensively. Thankfully the injury, an ankle injury, is not serious.
Alan Mahon came on immediately as Eagles left the field without barely a response from the home fans and what an impact he made. We built up the play really well down the right hand side with Graham Alexander and Elliott and it was the winger who fed the ball to Blake.
Blake's cross was deflected out by a defender but only as far as Mahon who hit an instant half volley past Cerny into the bottom corner, almost an identical goal to his last in August last year at Colchester.
Robbie had scored one and created one and he almost got a second with a stunning strike from a tight angle. It needed a top save to keep it out but no goalkeeper would have held the shot and they hurriedly had to clear.
There's no doubt we deserved to be in front but we did have to endure a testing last few minutes as QPR threw the kitchen sink at us. Defender Fitz Hall went up to join an attack that had been boosted with the arrival of Patrick Agyemang.
We had our moments too as more than once we caught them on the break. Both Stephen Jordan and Kevin McDonald (now on for Blake) took yellow cards for the team and we perhaps got away with a possible penalty. Jordan got in a superb challenge but the ball dropped for them and possibly Duff caught the forward. They do go down easily though and maybe they'd cried wolf once too often.
Ade came on and did ever so well as the Clarets looked to relieve the pressure. More than once he held the ball up or took it to the corner as the Clarets found themselves with an extra five minutes stoppage time.
We had to defend a few corners with all their big men forward but we held firm and there's no doubt whatsoever that we fully deserved this win, our third on the road this season.
We defended so well. Goalkeeper Jensen had another good game as did the entire back four in which the two central defenders were outstanding. Further forward there were exciting performances from Eagles, Elliott and Blake whilst Gudjonsson and McCann had good games in the midfield and Thompson just about won every header against Damion Stewart.
We had a difficult period in the first half, had to deal with big balls into the box at the end, but other than that this was another outstanding and exciting performance from the Clarets.
There are a number of candidates I would think for man of the match, but one player scored a goal, crossed the ball for the other, had a superb effort saved by the keeper, and turned in one of those performances that is worth the admission money alone. No doubt for me, Robbie Blake was man of the match.
It's been a good few days in London for the Clarets. We're in the last eight of the Carling Cup and back to fourth in the league. Now we need to make it count with a good home result next week when surely they will get a heroes welcome at Turf Moor.
The teams were;
QPR: Radek Cerny, Peter Ramage, Damion Stewart, Fitz Hall, Matthew Connolly (Damien Delaney 45), Samuel Di Carmine, Martin Rowlands, Damiano Tommasi (Gavin Mahon 53), Lee Cook, Hogan Ephraim (Patrick Ageymang 63), Dexter Blackstock. Subs not used: Jake Cole, Jorge Ledesma.
Burnley: Brian Jensen, Graham Alexander, Clarke Carlisle, Michael Duff, Stephen Jordan, Wade Elliott, Joey Gudjonsson, Chris McCann, Chris Eagles (Alan Mahon 56), Robbie Blake (Kevin McDonald 79), Steven Thompson (Ade Akinbiyi 84). Subs not used: Diego Penny, Martin Paterson.
Referee: Andy Woolmer (Northants).
Attendance: 13,226