I RECEIVED an expected text message from my fellow name change pal Mick Derby on Saturday.

It read: “We’ll be arriving in your village shortly, will meet you in the Bridge Bier Huis for a consoling pint.”

You see, Mick, good lad that he is, does get a little above his station when his big city club comes up against small town Burnley.

My theory is that his condescending remarks are his defence mechanism against the fact that over recent years we have invariably come out on top both home and away.

In fact I reminded him of this when I replied to his text.

“Mick, why are you bothering to travel all this way for the sake of a couple of good beers. I do not have to remind you about the demolition Derby at Pride Park when we scraped through 3-0. But maybe you have also overlooked the fact that the Rams have won none of the last nine league games against the Clarets, and also failed to score in three out of the last four. Turn back now mate to save any more humiliation.”

Mick did turn up, as I knew he would to watch Burnley come through yet another severe test of their credentials as they dismissed a Derby side that were threatening to gatecrash our automatic promotion place.

How appropriate then that on St David’s Day the first goal was scored by the combative David Jones.

His placed volley, in off the bar over former Burnley goalie Lee Grant, was the culmination of a great move.

Undoubtedly the sending off of Derby’s Chris Martin swung the game our way, and I have to say it looked harsh, although he had been in a niggly mood from the whistle, attempting to unsettle our players.

Nevertheless, Burnley had been the better team up until then, and it was great to see another midfielder in Dean Marney chip in with a goal to support our strikers.

So having beaten two of our most serious challengers in consecutive weeks, life can’t get much sweeter, can it? Oh yes it most certainly can!

We take on our own version of the noisy neighbours on Sunday when we make the short trip to Ewood.

It will be 35 years next month since Tony Morley and Brian Hall secured a 2-1 victory on Easter Saturday 1979.

We all know it isn’t going to be any easier to break that dismal run.

So buckle up, fasten your seatbelts and hold on tight, it’s going to be one heck of a ride.