A MUCH better week all round. Following the Clarets' uninspired and uninspiring draw against Rotherham, supporters could hardly have been said to have been licking their lips in anticipation of fixtures against promotion hopefuls Reading and Sunderland.

Yet if football always went according to the formbook, no one would bother turning up to watch. And so it was that Burnley came away with four points out of the six on offer -- surely more than most supporters thought likely.

The performance against Reading was the archetypal game of two halves. The Clarets could have had no complaints if they had gone in at half time on the wrong end of a 3-1 scoreline, such was the visitors' supremacy. That they didn't was down to a combination of Reading's profligacy and an in-form Brian Jensen.

The second period, however, was a different story and illustrated just how potent an attacking force Burnley can be on their day. In Little, Blake and Chadwick, the Clarets have an attacking trio which must cause severe bouts of envy amongst most Division One managers.

There was more of the same at The Stadium of Light on Saturday where the Clarets were again impressive going forward. And but for Mart Poom's posts, Burnley could have returned from the North East with all three points.

Aside from the form of Little, Blake and Chadwick, the biggest plus point to come from last week has to be the continuing emergence of Richard Chaplow. The energetic, home-grown midfielder has made himself a regular in the starting line-up and shows no signs of going off the boil.

Encouragingly, the 18-year-old has a little bit of everything in his game. Strong in the tackle and with a good range of passing, Chappy clearly has the potential to develop into a very good player. Not only that, he can score a goal too. Anybody who witnessed his ice-cool, top-corner finish against Reading will testify that the youngster exhibited a composure way beyond his teenage years.

Disturbingly, news of his progress has not been confined to the borough of Burnley. A national Sunday paper suggested that Chaplow has been attracting attention from the likes of Arsenal, Everton, Manchester United and Liverpool. The worry is that if the player continues to turn in eye-catching displays there is every chance that this may be his final season at Turf Moor.

Let's hope that Press are wide of the mark on this one, and a trademark powerhouse display from Chappy will certainly be required on Saturday when Sheffield United visit the Turf.

Results of the last week should have gone some way towards helping to resolve the crisis of confidence. And victory over Neil Warnock's men should put some distance between us and the bottom three.