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It left us with a mountain to climb, and how we climbed it to bring home a point that could at the end of the season prove to be so vital.
The day started bright and early; well not quite so much bright but certainly very early as my alarm clock alerted me to the day at 5:00 a.m. After a brief exchange of words with the clock I realised it was match day and was soon up and ready to go.
One of our party had avoided such problems with his alarm clock by going out for a drink on Friday evening and not returning home until a few minutes before it was time to set off. It's one way of doing it but I have to say he didn't look very well when he boarded the coach for the trouble free journey down.
That journey took us right past the new, under construction, Olympic Stadium and it does look very impressive. Apparently, according to Harry Redknapp, there's a really good pie and mash shop across the road, but we didn't partake as we made our way to the Den where the 125th birthday party was already getting underway.
Some of their old players, and in some cases they were old, were wheeled out ahead of the game and I was astonished to see Charlie Hurley come out. I remember the oft capped Republic of Ireland centre- half playing for Sunderland and had no idea he'd started his career with Millwall and played over a hundred games for them.
Some of the Burnley fans joined in the applause as the old players came out but I think most of the Burnley fans were on their feet more than once in the opening few minutes in disbelief at what was being allowed to happen.
We'd kicked off with the team that had beaten Hull on Tuesday night but that wasn't to last long. In an early incident Andre Bikey went down and required lengthy treatment to what appeared to be a rib injury. The Millwall player involved was Steve Morison, and as we saw during the remainder of the first half, he rarely goes within ten yards of the ball without committing a foul. Suggestions of an elbow were not seen by myself but it really wouldn't surprise me.
Then came the Clarke Carlisle moment. He went in and clearly slipped while making no contact with anyone. Stroud marched up like the headmaster in front of a naughty schoolboy and out came the red. At the time I couldn't argue, but looking again it really is a nonsense of a decision.
Seven minutes gone, and at of all places Millwall, and down to ten men. This was going to be a tough afternoon but not for one Burnley player Dean Marney. He was the one sacrificed as Michael Duff made his return to first team action to slot in at the back alongside Bikey in a 4-4-1 formation.
It was, without doubt, going to be tough, and Bikey was still struggling, so much so that five minutes after Duff came on he was on his way off with Leon Cort getting his first league action since the Birmingham away game last season.
Picture it. 3:00 p.m. it was 11 v 11 and now at 3:14 we were 10 v 11 with both central defenders, the pair who have kept four successive clean sheets, off the field and replaced by two players who had thirty minutes league action between them all season.
We had a few minutes of struggle and Millwall could have twice been in the lead. Theo Robinson, the player involved in the red card incident, missed a chance, but he and Morison were already causing problems with their pushing, shoving and niggling. It is just the sort of football you hate to have to watch.
"It's going to be a long afternoon," I said, adding: "And I'd take a 0-0 draw now." That was with just over 20 minutes gone and I was again a victim of the commentator's curse. Within a minute we'd won a throw in down the right touchline that was taken by Tyrone Mears.
He and Eagles swapped passed before the latter crossed early and there was Jay Rodriguez to get that leap again and head us into the lead. He turned one way and then the next hardly knowing what to do. He's only previously celebrated goals at the Jimmy Mac end at Turf Moor.
Jay was soon joined by team mates as the healthy away support down the far end were joining in. Now if only we could hang on to the lead.
We didn't; it lasted all of four minutes when they took advantage of some defensive hesitation to equalise and once again you wondered how on earth we were going to get even a draw out of this one.
For much of the rest of the first half they didn't threaten too much. They got forward, yes; they fouled consistently, yes; but we certainly deserved to go in at half time level.
It would be wrong of me to report that Millwall offered nothing in the second half. They did, and they even hit the woodwork twice, something that's good when it is the other way round. We've hit it so many times recently it was enjoyable to see their frustration.
I worried when Neil Harris came on. He's the latter day Harry Cripps or Barry Kitchener, almost a Mr Millwall, and on this special day for them was it scripted that he'd get the winner? Thankfully no was the answer although he did have a couple of opportunities.
But the story of the second half is about Burnley and not Millwall. It is about how we dug in, worked our socks off and grafted so hard that it's happen as well we've got a two week break. The two lads at the back were incredible. Leon Cort has described them as two 'old school' defenders. No matter what they were, they just did everything you could have asked of them and more.
Such was the effort they put in that at one point both went down with cramp and required treatment, yet both got up and continued to give it everything as we drew closer and closer to a point.
Not as though it was all about Duff and Cort, far from it. Everywhere on the pitch we had players showing the same commitment and none more than in the midfield where Wade Elliott really was Captain Fantastic.
He got the arm band for the first time when Carlisle was sent off and talk about lead by example. No doubt for me he was the man of the match, but there were other candidates.
Chris Eagles collapsed at the end and then there was Jay Rod. How good is this lad? His control, his touch, his movement, his ability in the air, it was all there for everyone to see. It's brilliant to see him getting games now and incredibly that was first ever full 90 minutes in league football.
We got there and incredibly we almost won it in stoppage time with a speculative effort from Eagles. Had that gone in it would have been party time but this was a superb result for us. Sometimes you wonder with a draw whether it as a point gained or two points dropped.
There was no wondering here as we fought our way to an incredible point and the ovation the players received at the end was as genuine and fully deserved as was the chanting of "Brian Laws' Claret & Blue Army."
Finally out of the Den we just had the small matter of getting home. Here the journey wasn't quite so easy as the one down. Without any escort away from the ground it took an absolute age before we were really on the move and then an accident on the M25 (shock horror, an accident on the M25) forced a detour via the M11 and the A14.
In the end the coach rolled into Harry Potts Way around 11:40 and we were able to deliver this most well earned of points.
It wasn't anything like the performance against Palace and certainly nothing like the big win in midweek, but this point really could prove vital and we won't work harder for one all season.
Well done Burnley - against all the odds.
The teams were;
Millwall: David Forde, Alan Dunne, Tony Craig (Danny Schofield 45), Nadjim Abdou (Darren Carter 79), Paul Robinson, Darren Ward, Tamika Mkandawire, Chris Hackett, Steve Morison, Scott Barron, Theo Robinson (Neil Harris 69). Subs not used: Steve Mildenhall, James Henry, Jack Smith, Marc Laird.
Yellow Cards: Tony Craig, Alan Dunne.
Burnley: Brian Jensen, Tyrone Mears, Clarke Carlisle, Andre Bikey (Leon Cort 14), Danny Fox, Jack Cork, Wade Elliott, Dean Marney (Michael Duff 9), Chris Eagles, Chris Iwelumo (Steven Thompson 76), Jay Rodriguez. Subs not used: Lee Grant, Graham Alexander, Ross Wallace, Martin Paterson.
Yellow Card: Chris Eagles.
Red Card: Clarke Carlisle.
Referee: Keith Stroud (Hampshire).
Attendance: 12,330 (including 842 Clarets).