TIMES are hard, but I'm glad the purse strings have been released a little to ease the plight of Stan and the boys.

A gruelling coach trip to Crystal Palace tomorrow would have been unthinkable at a time when points are imperative.

The predicament we find ourselves in cannot be under-estimated and I'm still totally confident we will pull away from any danger.

But sitting on a coach for five or six hours, through motorway snarl-ups and London traffic congestion, would hardly have been the best preparation for a crucial First Division game.

Thankfully, an overnight hotel stay tonight has alleviated that fear.

Yet paradoxically, while air travel has become more and more affordable, it seems the lads must still rumble up and down the country on a coach rather than let the plane take the strain.

Even back in the 1960s we had the luxury of flying to away games. I still remember the noise of the old turbo-prop Vanguard aircraft we used to use from Manchester to fly us south.

Forty years ago, it was either that or travelling on the old 'A-roads' across to Manchester and then via Kidderminster on the way to London.

Today's players are still asked to travel to many away games on the day and it becomes a real problem for Stan.

The last thing he wants, or needs, is to have the players cramped up on a coach for hours on end - no matter how luxurious they might be.

It also means the lads are up at the crack of dawn and don't often get back into their beds until the midnight hour.

And that's not even bringing into the equation the feeling on board should the result not go your way.

I'd like to think the relaxing flight down to London to take on West Ham earlier this season helped us earn a well-deserved draw.

But sadly, it's not an option at the moment so instead Stan has to prepare as best he can for a game that is massive for the lads.

The league remains a priority and, with a home game against West Brom next week, the games don't get any easier.

So what better place could there be than one of Stan's old stomping grounds to beat Palace and keep the New Year celebrations going for another week?

And remaining upbeat, at least we don't have to hit the road again for the FA Cup fourth round later this month.

Burnley have clocked up more than their fair share of miles in the past year in cup competitions and the home tie with Gillingham gives us a great chance of making the fifth round for the second successive year.

Once you get that far, who knows what can happen and one thing is certain - Gillingham won't fancy the long journey north!