BURNLEY have built a strong fortress over the last 10 months, and I can’t see it being breached in the next two games.

When I was at the football club no-one enjoyed visiting the place, and more often than not we would send them packing with their tail between their legs.

And it’s good to see that, more often than not, that has been the case this season.

Sheffield Wednesday are the visitors this afternoon, then Brighton on Tuesday week, after a free weekend.

Ideally we want to go into that break still in the top two and with all to play for going forward.

Ashley Barnes will surely want to be involved against his old club when the time comes.

But while he will be privately determined to win his place it’s good to see that he hasn’t come in all guns blazing.

I’m sure he’s chomping at the bit to play but with Sam Vokes and Danny Ings scoring regularly he will have to wait.

He knows that and he accepts it. Any footballer who is in that position has to have a level of maturity to realise the lads are ahead of him for a reason and are doing the job, and it’s good that Barnes appears to demonstrate that. There’s no risk of him being a spoilt brat about it because he is aware of the situation already.

So all he has to do is work hard on the training ground, make the most of his minutes when he gets them so that – without wishing to jinx the front two – if and when the chance comes along for him to start he will be ready to deliver.

I’m sure that manager Sean Dyche will have had good discussions with him before and after signing from the Seagulls.

And that seems to go for the rest of the squad judging by Keith Treacy’s comments. As an ex-player Sean knows how players want to be treated and that can sometimes help. He can read whether they need an arm round the shoulder or a kick up the backside and act accordingly.

In galvanising individuals, as he certainly appears to have done with Keith, he has galvanised the group.

If that has resulted in the winger falling back in love with football, hopefully that quickly translates into performances, because we all know he has the ability.