Clarets' Match Previewer Michael Donnelly writes ahead of the Burnley visit on Saturday 13th May 2017, to the Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth for a 3pm kick off.
The Premier League put its arm around Sean Dyche and his Clarets last Saturday, as they almost certainly confirmed their place in the top flight of English football for next season.
Burnley hold a six points difference and a nineteen goal lead over Hull City. Hello happiness, goodbye rainy days! Sean Dyche and the boys, you are our pride and joy!
Forgive me for a completely over the top preview with poetical undertones woven into this week's match preview, but just how good does it feel to be a Burnley fan right now?
With just two league games to go to the end of the season, the Clarets sit in fourteenth position in the Premier League, with the magical forty points survival barometer having already been reached.
Saturday brings Burnley's ultimate away game of the season, against former Clarets' boss Eddie Howe's Bournemouth. The Cherries sit just three places above Burnley in the table but with only two points separating the two sides. A Burnley win would take them above the south coast outfit.
Now Burnley have experienced the taste of victory on their travels, let's be greedy and go for all three points? Sean Dyche is certainly thinking this way and just this week demanded his team, "go strong all the way through the season".
It would be a fitting end for all those Burnley fans who have travelled to watch the Clarets in every away game this season. A total of 110 hours continuous travelling time, covering 6200 miles. That is the equivalent to the top of the Empire State building and back and it must have felt like that at times.
Saturday represents the longest journey of the season, to a ground that has the smallest capacity in the English Premier League, just 11,464.
By rights , this seaside resort club should not be competing in the Premier League. The fact that they are and have secured a third consecutive season in the top flight is down to a wealthy owner and one of the top English managers in the game.
Since Eddie Howe left Burnley to return 'home', Bournemouth have climbed out of League 1 and are now challenging for a top half position in the Premier League. All achieved in less than five years and that quite simply, is really way beyond remarkable!
Howe has built a good footballing side at the Vitality Stadium, as Burnley fans witnessed at Turf Moor in December when the Clarets won 3-2. A result that I felt slightly flattered the Cherries, because both of their goals came in injury time, at the end of each half.
This was the game that finally marked the arrival of Eire international Jeff Hendrick to Burnley Football Club. Hendrick scored a truly superb individual goal, struck on the half volley from 25 yards, following his own superb ball control.
This game has all the promises to be another soccer crackerjack too. Two teams looking for points but built on two totally contrasting footballing styles by the opposing managers.
The question for Saturday is will Sean Dyche's well drilled, resilient and organised Burnley side be able to outwit Eddie Howe's cavalier and free scoring Bournemouth side?
It's a difficult one to predict and for an end of the season game, the stakes are high. If there is to be a winner, that team will probably finish in the top half of the table at the end of the season. For £2 million pounds a place that is certainly something to play for. As well as the prestige!
Bournemouth have done extremely well to recover from a bad start to the year which was dragging them down towards the bottom of the table. In Norwegian international and ex-Blackburn Rovers player Josh King, they have one of the most in form strikers in the English Premier League.
King's goal scoring form up to this season has been anything but good, but the player has stepped up onto the plate and has risen to the goal scoring responsibility since the long term injury to the Cherries' star hitman, Callum Wilson
Bournemouth have goalscoring threats right throughout the team and threats come from all parts of the field. In right back Adam Smith, the Cherries have a player with the most assists by a Premier League defender this season.
Junior Stanislas is a player Burnley fans are familiar with and know all to well how his career has been revitalised since being reunited with Eddie Howe. He now looks a much better player than the often dispirited winger Clarets fans often witnessed at Turf Moor.
Interestingly though Bournemouth have picked up a bad habit of scoring own goals this year, with another one last Saturday, making it four own goals since the start of the year .
With Burnley's last away game against Crystal Palace resulting in a splendid 2-0 win, Sean Dyche will undoubtedly be looking to nick this one on Saturday. The Burnley front men are all in goal scoring form at the moment and there is a fluidity about the midfield that augers well.
With defensive lynchpins Ben Mee and England international Michael Keane looking set to return to the fold, the timing for a Clarets' consecutive away win is looking good as well.
Burnley have one more match of the season left after Saturday, a home game to West Ham United. Let's hope the Clarets can finish the season off on a real high?
This rather happy and optimistic match preview is written by Clarets Mad regular contributor Michael Donnelly, alias the "Donz". (TEC)
Source: DSG
