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Coming into this game with injury worries, and on the back of the defeat at Reading, I was somewhat apprehensive given we were playing the league leaders and a side everyone is tipping to go straight back up. You just look down their team sheet and look at the names and it starts to worry you.
The morning discussions at Gawthorpe for the youth team game didn't have much in the way of confidence and with a distinct lack of defenders there were the suggestions that this was where we might just get found out.
Over to Turf Moor just ahead of kick off and the news that all the injured defenders were in fact fit and in the starting line up, and the only change from the side that had lost at Reading was the enforced one following Stephen Jordan's red card with Christian Kalvenes coming in as his replacement.
It was a quiet opening to the game. I thought we were perhaps showing them too much respect and were reluctant to get players forward. We didn't have too many problems, although Michael Duff did superbly to get in a challenge to prevent a shot at goal, but we were allowing too much of the game to be played in our own half of the pitch.
That didn't last long, probably about the first ten minutes, and then we started to take the game to Birmingham. Our first real opportunity fell to Graham Alexander albeit from distance. Unfortunately he didn't quite get onto the ball early enough and the only danger to Birmingham was to their fans in the cricket field stand as the ball sailed towards them.
We've got some very good players in our side now when it comes to shooting from distance but it was a close range header that gave us the lead. Martin Paterson, on the right hand side, turned inside his defender and curled in a left foot cross to the far post that was screaming for someone to head it. That someone was Chris McCann and he made no mistake as he planted his header past Maik Taylor to put us in front.
And he could, perhaps should, have doubled that lead soon after when he again got on the end of a cross. This time it was an Alexander free kick but he could only direct his header wide of the post.
It was all Burnley now and we were playing some delightful stuff. Playing with some real confidence this football was really pleasing on the eye as we started to pass Birmingham off the pitch, and we did it with some pace too.
Incredibly the best chances kept coming in the air. Joey Gudjonsson planted a header right into the hands of goalkeeper Taylor and then just before the break Steven Thompson headed wide.
But this had been an excellent first half from the Clarets and it was no surprise to see them go off to a superb ovation from the crowd at the half time whistle.
Half time was brilliant. For those of us in the Longside we had two groups of young kids playing in two games of football. The crowd loved it as every bit of skill from these kids was applauded and the kids just looked to be really enjoying being out there. More of this please.
Out for the second half Birmingham had made a change at left back, and no surprise really. David Murphy had suffered a torrid first 45 minutes and I'm sure he must have been relieved to have been put out of his misery.
Nothing much changed, we were still the better side and the play was still towards the Birmingham goal. Taylor was thankful for a deflection that took a Gudjonsson free kick over the bar and in our next attack a cross from Wade Elliott hit the bar.
Midway through the half there was a rush of substitutions with both sides making two each. Robbie Blake and then Chris Eagles came on for us with first Paterson going off to be followed by Thompson. It made no difference, and Robbie brilliantly set up, of all people, Michael Duff for a shot at goal that went just wide.
It was a superb move and Duff was so unlucky, but the Clarets kept coming forward and we won that fateful corner on the right hand side. There's been much debate about us bringing all eleven players back into our box when we concede a corner no matter what the state of play, but I commented just as we prepared to take this one that Birmingham had done likewise despite being behind and time running out.
I wish I'd kept my mouth shut. They cleared the corner and their players broke so quickly they found themselves with four players against the two we'd left back. "We're in trouble," I said as the ball crossed the half way line, and we were.
To his credit Brian Jensen, who'd had another very quiet afternoon, got his foot to the shot but could still only deflect it goalwards where Cameron Jerome, one of the Birmingham subs, made sure from close range.
We really, really didn't deserve that but the worry now was that Birmingham might just make the most of their reprieve and go on and win it.
No chance of that as the Clarets simply took the game back to them and murdered them for the last part of the game. Elliott was having a field day down the right hand side now and was causing them all sorts of problems. But the goal just wouldn't come.
It might well have done if the three incompetent officials had done their job. There was a massive scream for a handball from players and crowd alike as Elliott looked to get in another cross. From my vantage point I couldn't tell one way or the other but apparently it was as blatant as you will get them.
The assistant claims he had his view blocked but the simple truth is these assistants yesterday never made decisions, but just waited for the appalling Lee Probert every time. I wonder sometimes what the point is in having them when they are not prepared to bother.
There was to be one last chance, and not surprisingly a headed chance from a right wing cross. It was McCann again but his header went wide.
People ask in a drawn game whether it is a point won or two points dropped. It is always a point won as your total of points goes up by one, but this very much felt like two points dropped.
This was without doubt for me the best home performance I've seen from Burnley since Owen Coyle became manager. You couldn't fail to be impressed and if we can start to show that sort of form on a consistent basis then we won't be down in eleventh place for long.
Right across the pitch there were good performances. Elliott got the sponsors man of the match and at times he frightened Birmingham to death. McCann, the goal scorer, was again in top form. But for me Graham Alexander was yet again an inspiration in the midfield and was my man of the match by some distance.
Usually when I leave a drawn game when the opposition have forced an equaliser I'm far from happy. This time I left the Turf with a smile on my face. I'd enjoyed that performance and they really had gone out there and entertained us.
The teams were;
Burnley: Brian Jensen, Michael Duff, Clarke Carlisle, Steven Caldwell, Christian Kalvenes, Graham Alexander, Wade Elliott, Joey Gudjonsson, Chris McCann, Steven Thompson (Chris Eagles 69), Martin Paterson (Robbie Blake 65). Subs not used: Diego Penny, Remco van der Schaaf, Jay Rodriguez.
Birmingham: Maik Taylor, Stuart Parnaby, Liam Ridgewell, Martin Taylor, David Murphy (Franck Queudrue 45), Sebastian Larsson, Lee Carsley, Kemy Agustien (James McFadden 58), Quincy Owusu-Abeyie, Garry O'Connor (Cameron Jerome 68), Kevin Phillips. Subs not used: Colin Doyle, Medhi Nafti.
Referee: Lee Probert (Wiltshire).
Attendance: 13,809.