A fan's-eye view from Turf Moor, with Stephen Cummings

THERE's this bloke I work with. And like a lot of the folk I work with, he's a mad keen Burnley fan.

Just over a month ago, the Clarets lost two home games in the space of four days to Preston and Luton. This left them eight points adrift of second spot with an inferior goal difference and games running out.

Everyone agreed the play-offs provided Burnley's only realistic escape route from Division Two. Everyone except my work colleague, that is. He insisted with an enthusiasm bordering on fanaticism that the Clarets were still going up automatically.

At the time I laughed at him. I ain't laughing now. Suddenly, fantastically, almost unbelievably, Burnley have become the masters of their own destiny. No ifs. No buts. No relying on other teams to do us favours. As Brian Moore once put it, "it's up for grabs now."

Until last weekend, the general consensus was that second place was a straight fight between Wigan and Bristol Rovers. Millwall meanwhile were waiting in the wings should either of their peers slip up.

No-one mentioned Burnley. After all, the Clarets had occupied fifth place for so long, they could claim squatters rights. But then Wigan wobbled, Bristol bombed. Burnley meanwhile kept on getting results. Since that defeat to Luton the Clarets have won five, drawn three, lost none.

Burnley have hit form at a key time, ie when it matters. They are doing things that successful teams do. Late equalisers (Gillingham, Bury) and later winners (Notts County, Oxford) are the stuff that promotions are made of.

Tonight represents a glorious opportunity to put ourselves firmly in the promotion frame. Just for the record, my workmate reckons we'll clinch promotion on Easter Monday at Brentford. You're laughing right? Well, so was I a few weeks ago. . .