Preview - Derby County v Burnley

Before the last game against Sheffield United I said it looked like our toughest remaining away fixture. This fixture looks like our toughest home game. 

Derby County v Burnley

Coca Cola Championship

3pm, Saturday 4th April 2009

Pride Park, Derby

Burnley are currently 5th in the table, 4 points clear of Preston in 7th and looking good for a play off place.  Like us they reached the semi-final of the League cup but unlike us their league form has been pretty consistent all season. Fans who went will remember the 3-0 result at Turf Moor where the Rams were simply overwhelmed in the first half hour. They have beaten Arsenal, West Brom and Spurs form the Premier League and also put Chelsea out of the cup on penalties. They also turned Forest over 5-0 recently

Some fans point to the acquisition of Chris Eagles from Manchester United as the key player in Owen Coyle's squad. When he signed, Coyle said;

 "He can play as a striker, or behind the striker or wide or as a central midfielder. He gives you a host of variations, but out with that he's a talented footballer and that's what we want - young exciting talents to complement the quality we already have."

Eagles has scored seven times this season but it's his contribution overall to the team that suggests Burnley will have trouble keeping hold of him if they do not achieve promotion.

In the last game, Burnley beat Plymouth 2-1 at Home Park. The game was a tough one by all accounts though Owen Coyle felt his team should have done better;

"Their goal gave them a lift and they put us under a bit of pressure but we changed things around a bit and if you analyze that game we had bout six clear-cut, gilt-edged chances. Sometimes it's going to be about grinding it out and as soon as (Blake) controlled it on his chest we all felt it was going into the back of the net because we know the standards we have got."

At the time of writing there are no injury concerns for Coyle.

Burnley Facts

The Rams

It seems an age since we played what with the International Break and now we have seven games to look forward to in 22 days - the fixture computer is mad it seems.

Clough has enjoyed the break. He told the BBC;

"We think the rest at this stage of the season is as important as the training that they do."

It seems many fans have forgotten how poor the last game at Pride Park was as over 30,000 tickets have been sold for this game. The 0-0 against Barnsley was a poor display with the one redeeming factor being that it wasn't a defeat as it would have been under Jewell or Davies. Clough admitted as much;

"We're very pleased with a point, but not pleased with the performance, although you have to give Barnsley a lot of credit. They played well and we didn't, but we've got a point out of it and better off than we were before the start."

The 50 point target still seems to be Clough's aim but with the injury crisis at Pride Park, we may have to limp over that line.

The last report on injuries suggested that Chris Porter, Jay McEveley and Kris Commons are all expected to be fit for this game. There are no up to date reports but as Commons did not feature in the Scotland team over the break, his fitness must at least be suspect. Commons has been missed since his injury and it's fair to say that it was a master stroke to play him off Rob Hulse instead of out on the wing. Clough is the first to admit that it was David Lowe whose idea it was for the Manchester United game.

Mick's team: Bywater, McEveley, Nyatanga, Albrechtsen, Connolly, Teale, Bannan, Savage, Commons, Barazite, Hulse

What the Bookies think

Derby are slight favourites at 7/5 while Burley are at 8/5. The draw is at 21/10.  Hulse and Porter are at 7/4 while Bannan and Teale are at 5/1. Patterson is the Burnley favourite at 7/4 while Blake is at 2/1 and Eagles at 7/2.

Information for travelling fans

Driving: Burnley to Derby is about 100 miles. Take the M6 south until J16 or J15 (not much in it) then A500 to the A50 through Stoke. Follow the A50 to Derby and stay on it until the turn off for Alvaston. There will be traffic around Alvaston however if you stay on London Rd you can get to the parking areas described below. Alternatively, take the M62/M1 south and Pick up the A52 Brian Clough way at J26 towards Derby. The ground is on the left

Parking: It used to be at the old Wilmorten College site however that is now a housing estate so away fans should park at Catalyst on London Rd opposite the Navigation pub. It’s about 10-15 minutes from the ground. Don’t be tempted to park at Pride Park shopping centre unless you fancy being clamped. You can also park for a £5 at the hospital further up London Rd near the hospital and the Railway station. Another alternative is to pass the exit for Pride Park on Brian Clough Way and head for Pentagon Island. Take the first exit and turn left and after a few hundred yards you will come to The Cattle Market Car Park. It’s about 10 minutes walk to the ground from here.

If you come by train, the locale around the station is fairly inviting. The Crown and Cushion at the junction of London Rd always seems to be full of away supporters. The Brunswick is a must for any real ale fans and the Alexandra next door is my personal favourite. Fans tend to mingle in these pubs and as long as you’re not being aggressive, the atmosphere is good. The Waterfall opposite the station is okay as well. If you are driving, the Navigation Pub on London Rd opposite the parking area is your best bet. Around the ground there's a Frankie & Bennie's, Harvester and the Pride Park but these tend to be very busy.

Mick's prediction

Tough game and loathe to predict a draw as many of my predictions seem to becoming true in bitterly ironic fashion. If we play like we did against Barnsley, a bumper crowd will go home disappointed.  We should treat this as a game we need to win to be safe.

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