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Aston Villa at home was one of the games I'd really been looking forward to. It was one I'd earmarked when the fixtures came out. I've seen some superb games over the years between the two clubs and believed this could be one of the classics of the season.
I had my concerns too. Here were a side that were close to clinching a Champions League place last season and a side that have already started this season well enough to be just behind the top four.
We were going to be up against a top team and I never allowed it to enter my head that Villa were visiting a ground where they are generally unsuccessful. In their previous 22 league visits to Turf Moor they have drawn just four with the other eighteen all Burnley wins.
I was on my way along Harry Potts Way when I received a text from a friend which read: "Just seen the Villa team, will take a point now." There's no doubt that you sometimes see the opposition line up and it does immediately worry you.
With the exception of the unavailable James Collins they were just about at full strength whilst there were no surprises from Owen Coyle who named the same eleven that had drawn at Manchester City two weeks ago with incredibly no less than eight of our starting line up being ever presents.
There was a period of applause prior to the game following the sad deaths of Margaret Potts and Billy Ingham since we last played at home although strangely this was before the teams came out, something I don't think I've seen before.
The game got underway in somewhat blustery conditions that might have favoured, if anyone, us in the first half and after a quietish sort of opening we did what we are getting used to at home and took an early lead.
Robbie Blake was fouled on the left wing almost in front of the visitors' technical area and took the free kick himself. He floated in the perfect cross that teased Brad Friedel who came for it but only to see Caldwell get in between him and Richard Dunne to head home for his first Premier League goal for Burnley and his first in the top league since he netted the winner for Leeds at Blackburn in April 2004.
For much of the remainder of the first half we took the game to Villa and put them under some amount of pressure in what was, for me, as good a performance as I've seen from the Clarets this season. The football was at times sublime and had we been able to get another goal then I'm sure it would have been enough to take the game away from Villa.
Tyrone Mears was halted by Dunne, who got a yellow card for his troubles, and in the next right wing raid we came close to that second goal. Mears and Eagles linked for Eagles to cross low for Steven Fletcher who in turn laid the ball back for Andre Bikey. The Cameroon hit it first time and the shot flew just over the bar. Had it been just a bit lower Friedel wouldn't have had a chance.
Buoyed by that effort he tried a speculative shot from almost 40-yards. It deflected off Steve Sidwell for a corner but might just have flown into the top corner otherwise.
Down at the other end the only scare had come when Brian Jensen charged out of his box on the Villa left wing but lost out to Gabriel Agbonlahor. The Villa forward found Ashley Young but with no keeper to beat he put his shot over the bar.
A couple of Villa corners right on half time were the only time they put us under any pressure and as the half time whistle blew the score remained 1-0 and that scoreline must have been something of a relief for Villa.
It really had been special, but with the weather conditions likely to be against us in the second half it might just be a different story. During the half time interval I can confirm that I didn't win a car, but there again there was no announcement to suggest that I had. I was pleased my name wasn't John Hall.
Referee Howard Webb had done well but early in the second half we saw another example of him getting the big decision wrong. Fletcher got past Dunne but the central defender pulled him back by the shirt. As Fletcher fought clear he was felled by Carlos Cuellar and in came Webb to yellow card the defender. That card should have been Dunne's and that should have seen us playing against ten men for the rest of the afternoon.
Mears took the free kick and curled it round the wall but over the bar and the opportunity had gone.
Villa were offering more this half, playing a more direct game in conditions that had worsened during the interval. Jensen saved well to deny Agbonlahor but there again Friedel made two superb saves to keep out Blake and Fletcher.
Martin O'Neill changed things. On came Stewart Downing for his Aston Villa debut and more significantly Emile Heskey was introduced with ten minutes to go. Meanwhile we made three changes in a twelve minute period.
Villa were pushing forward but in truth they weren't really threatening. Then James Milner got down the right hand side but was stopped by substitute Kevin McDonald at the expense of a corner. Referee Webb held it up whilst speaking to players in the box and when the corner did come over Jensen opted to punch.
As the crowd shouted 'BEAST' the ball was played back in for Milner and there was Heskey to climb over Stephen Jordan to head home the equaliser.
It was cruel but we still had some time to see through. Thankfully we did that without too much alarm and got a point from a 1-1 draw.
One point was hard to take and there was no doubt that we all filed out of the ground disappointed that we hadn't got all three. But disappointment was all it was, we'd seen the Clarets play so well against one of the best teams in the country right now.
As I walked up by the cricket ground it was all put into perspective by one supporter behind me who reminded us that a year ago we'd played out a 0-0 draw against Doncaster. Here we were now, one year on, disappointed that we'd got the same one point against Villa.
"No matter, we are looking comfortable in the Premier League," said a friend of mine. I wouldn't go that far right now but there is no doubt O'Neill will have taken his side back down the M6 knowing what a difficult game they have just experienced.
Choosing a man of the match was difficult, there were simply so many good performances right across the team. In the end I chose from two in Fletcher and Graham Alexander. Fletcher has been a revelation since switching into the centre and turned in another outstanding display.
But for me this time it was Grezza. It was his best performance for us this season and I would go as far as to say possibly his best ever performance for us.
We've still got a massive task on our hands if we want to stay in this league, and that's something we definitely want to do. For those who thought we weren't up to it or thought that task might be too difficult, they will have to think again after the quality of this performance from Burnley.
It was delightful despite the disappointment.
The teams were;
Burnley: Brian Jensen, Tyrone Mears, Clarke Carlisle, Steven Caldwell, Stephen Jordan, Graham Alexander, Andre Bikey, Chris Eagles (Kevin McDonald 69), Wade Elliott, Robbie Blake (Joey Gudjonsson 81), Steven Fletcher (David Nugent 75). Subs not used: Diego Penny, Michael Duff, Fernando Guerrero, Steven Thompson.
Aston Villa: Brad Friedel, Luke Young (Emile Heskey 80), Carlos Cuellar, Richard Dunne, Stephen Warnock, James Milner, Steve Sidwell (Stewart Downing 70), Stiliyan Petrov, Ashley Young, John Carew, Gabriel Agbonlahor. Subs not used: Brad Guzon, Nicky Shorey, Habib Beye, Fabian Delph, Nigel Reo-Coker.
Yellow Cards: Richard Dunne, Steve Sidwell, Carlos Cuellar.
Referee: Howard Webb (Rotherham).
Attendance: 21,178.