Burnley travel to Pride Park this Saturday looking for a first league win of the season, in fact looking for a first league win since a 4-2 success at Pride Park in April, a result which, at the time, looked as if it may land us in the play offs. Two draws and a defeat followed to end the season and the 2011/12 season has started with just the same, two draws and a defeat.
On the play, both home games, against Watford and Cardiff, should probably have been won but we've had to settle for draws. The only away game so far ended in a 2-0 defeat at Crystal Palace and that's just about what we deserved.
At least there have been two wins in the Carling Cup and two wins that have been very similar. Both have been home games against League Two sides, first Burton Albion and then Barnet. In both we've held two goal leads and lost them with the last goal on both occasions coming in stoppage time meaning extra time. Thankfully we've won both games in extra time...
Whilst Derby had a busy summer making signings, it's not quite happened at Burnley. It's been just the opposite with so many players leaving, no less than six since the start of pre-season training. New players are still arriving but such is our fortune right now in the transfer market, Danny Ings signed from Bournemouth and sustained a long term injury a few days later. It will be months before he can make his debut.
Another striker, Martin Paterson, is a long term injury victim whilst defender Michael Duff was forced off with a knee injury on Tuesday that will almost certainly rule him out for the Derby game.
The players to watch are probably our two strikers Jay Rodriguez and Charlie Austin. Note the absence of any defenders but given we've now gone 17 games without keeping a clean sheet that's hardly a surprise. Rodriguez, local born despite the name, was last season's leading scorer. He's at his best if playing just behind the front. He links play well and scores all different kinds of goals. Austin has been amongst the goals already as he finally gets his Burnley career underway. There were a lot of clubs wanted him when he came from Swindon in January and he came with a fantastic goalscoring record in League One.
You can never read the manager's mind but I don't envisage the team being much different than: Lee Grant, Kieran Trippier, Andre Amougou, Ben Mee, Brian Easton, Ross Wallace, Dean Marney, Chris McCann, Keith Treacy, Jay Rodriguez, Charlie Austin. Subs: Brian Jensen, David Edgar, Wade Elliott, Alex MacDonald, Zavon Hines.