Bottoms up for Clarets at Turf (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Bottoms up for Clarets at Turf

7:08am Saturday 9th February 2008 in

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TWICE this season, the Clarets have come unstuck at home to sides plugged to the foot of the Championship.

But Owen Coyle is confident that those blips are a thing of the past as Burnley entertain struggling Colchester at Turf Moor today.

Currently in 10th position, Burnley can take a step closer to the play-off zone if they despatch the U's, who have registered just five league wins this term.

However, despite their favouritism against a side cut four points adrift of safety, Coyle's men have previously slipped up against bottom-of-the-table opposition.

On December 11, QPR ripped up the form book with a 2-0 victory at Turf Moor, while Lancashire rivals Preston, who sank to the bottom following the Hoops' triumph, egded a 3-2 win just four days later.

"When you look back at both games, we dominated both," said Clarets boss Coyle.

"As far as the Preston game is concerned, I think everybody knows the reason why that game went away!

"And with QPR, we were very comfortable, and the bottom line is we just couldn't break them down and lost out to a sucker punch from a corner.

"But you look at both games and there were reasons for those defeats. Both performances were fine.

"I really feel we did enough to win both games, but that's way behind us now and it's history.

"The bottom line is that we're focused on the form we are in just now, and we know it's a game we are capable of winning.

The Clarets have since delivered clinical home wins following that surprise double defeat, putting the sword to Plymouth and Scunthorpe since the turn of the year.

And they are still well in the play-off hunt, despite slipping to a 2-1 loss at Championship leaders West Brom last Saturday.

But Coyle insists they won't be taking Colchester lightly as they set about landing their third successive home league victory, with a chance to also wreak revenge against QPR on Tuesday night.

"Colchester have some good players, there's no doubt about that," said the Burnley boss.

"They are a better side than their league position suggests, and we have to make sure we are at our best to go and get those three points.

"This league is all about margins.

"You can dominate a game in the Championship and still lose the match, because that's how tight the games are whoever you're up against.

"And that's why we have to be at our best and create chances, like we always do.

"It's the old cliche that we take one game at a time, but these two games coming up are very important.

"The bottom line is that we have a squad capable of winning games in the Championship."