IT is the first time in a long, long time that you could say Burnley are the big favourties to win an East Lancashire derby.

They are flying, they are confident and no doubt they will feel like the time is now to break the hoodoo.

But these derby matches genuinely are not decided by which team is flying and which team is not – and even if they are, Blackburn have home advantage on Sunday.

No these matches are about which team wants it more and which team turns up on the day.

I’d like to think Blackburn will turn up but if they don’t and they turn in a performance like the one they produced at Bolton on Saturday, then this could be the end of their 35-year rule over Burnley.

The defeat to Bolton was surprising as Rovers were on a nice little run.

But sometimes you can underestimate your opposition and perhaps Blackburn did that to Bolton. You do that sometimes as a player.

You take your foot off the gas and think, ‘we’re on a good run, they’re struggling, so this should be reasonably easy’.

If you do you can get caught on the back foot and that’s what happened to Blackburn at the Reebok.

People must have turned around and said Blackburn looked easy to beat.

That’s the disappointing thing because for the last six or seven weeks that has not been the case. They have been very difficult to beat and the teams they have played before Saturday would vouch for that.

Now it’s a case of going back to the drawing board and getting ready for Burnley. But the good thing about getting a battering from Bolton is that Gary Bowyer’s team talk will be the easiest one he will have to do.

The players will know they have to do better and they will know exactly what this game means.

And if they don’t people like David Dunn will be getting word around.

The build up to the game is now well and truly under way and the banter is starting to fly.

And it will stay that way until well after the game.

At the end of the day it doesn’t matter how you play, it’s just about the result.

And after what happened at Bolton, Blackburn should be desperate to get one for their fans and for the town.