WITH around 10 minutes remaining and Burnley trailing 1-0 to Watford, a huge bank of dark cloud rolled over what had been a glorious sun, casting an imposing shadow over Vicarage Road and the 4,200 Clarets in the away end.

With the benefit of hindsight, it was a depressingly appropriate moment. Yet to be fair, Burnley had been in the shadows for most of the afternoon.

"They never turned up" was one of the most common post-match complaints from disconsolate supporters.

Just two hours earlier the mood had been markedly different.

The travelling army full of nervous anticipation bathed in the sun's warm glow and sang their hearts out for the lads. But as the afternoon wore on, it became increasingly obvious that the Clarets were never going to score.

Many of the right qualities were there; commitment, endeavour and effort of the players was never in question. But the BBC's highlight package did not lie.

Lee Briscoe being unable to connect with an Ian Moore cross and Glen Little's snap shot were all the Beeb were able to scrape together.

In fairness, Watford were little better but that is not this writer's concern.

Which leads us to the heart of the problem. The way Burnley have set themselves up recently has had more to do with making themselves difficult to beat rather than taking the game to the opposition.

The current system was a wholly understandable reaction to the way that the team was shipping goals right, left and centre.

But as witnessed on Sunday, it is a system which offers precious little going forward.

To a degree, one can sympathise with Ternent. His dilemma all season long has been how to accommodate match winners Blake and Little into the side, without being over exposed in midfield given that the two players in question offer little defensively.

The side effect is that creativity is sacrificed for security.

And now there is an added problem. Out of the Cup and off the play-off pace, the season is in danger of slipping away. With 13 games remaining, Burnley lie eight points behind sixth placed Wolves.

In fact, better make that nine points given that Wolves boast a healthy goal difference of plus 24, whilst the Clarets limp along on minus eight.

On the plus side we have two games in hand on Wolves -- the down side is that the first of these games is at one of our traditional graveyards, Bramall Lane, where Ternent will lock horns with his nemesis Neil Warnock.

Bristling with confidence having dumped Leeds out of the Cup, this will be one of the Clarets toughest remaining games.

In fact given that Burnley travel to Walsall on Saturday and host Leicester next Tuesday, this is shaping up to be one of the biggest weeks of the season.