BURNLEY can lay claim to be one of the Championship's in-form teams ahead of Doncaster Rovers' visit to Turf Moor tomorrow.
The Clarets have climbed into fourth place in the table on the back of a run of just two defeats - against two of the three sides currently above them - in their last 15 league games.
But for drawing a blank in their first two games the Lancashire side would be in an automatic promotion spot.
The Clarets are unbeaten at Turf Moor since their first home game of the season back in August when Ipswich Town romped to a 3-0 win.
They are also through to the quarter-final of the Carling Cup having beaten Bury, Oldham, Fulham and Chelsea.
They entertain Arsenal early next month but after beating the Gunners' arch London rivals at Stamford Bridge in the last round, they will not be fazed by Arsene Wenger's side.
Rovers boss Sean O'Driscoll says that he is not surprised with how well Burnley have done.
"Most sides usually have one or two players who run with the ball but Burnley have actually got four, which is unusual," said O'Driscoll.
"They have got two wide men, Eagles and Elliott, who can both move with the ball. Robbie Blake and McCann can also do so and that makes them very dangerous.
"They have got a nice balance with experience at the back with a goalkeeper who has obviously played a lot of Championship games. They have also got two good centre-halves.
"They have all the ingredients, as have a lot of other sides in this division, but what they have shown, and some of the other sides haven't, is consistency.
"Every time I've watched them play, and in the games I've watched on tape, they have looked as good as anybody in this division. They could win the league or at the least make the play-offs."
Tomorrow's game marks manager Owen Coyle's first year in charge, during which time the Clarets have won 22 and drawn 14 of 53 games.
"It has been a really quick year and there are a lot of things that we have put in place that will serve us well for years to come," he said.
"Any manager will tell you they always want things and they want them yesterday and we are trying to move things on.
"I take great satisfaction from getting the young kids in the team and I am pretty sure that they will continue to develop and will feature in the team even more."
Coyle has doubts about Michael Duff, who picked up a knock playing for Northern Ireland in midweek.
Skipper Steven Caldwell will face a late fitness test, but Chris Eagles is expected to be fit despite being carried off with an ankle injury at Loftus Road last weekend.
Legendary Burnley keeper Colin McDonald, now 78, will present club chairman Barry Kilby with the first of his eight England caps - awarded for a friendly against the USSR in Moscow in 1958, during half-time in tomorrow's game.
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