The David Dunn column...

AFTER an amazing week in Dubai, now it's back to reality. And, I have to say, we couldn't have chosen a better game to come back to than a local derby against our fiercest rivals, Burnley.

If it's anything like the first game, then Ewood Park will be no place for the feint-hearted tomorrow.

But then that's exactly what we need if we want to hit the ground running after going two weeks without a game. We all know what this means to the fans.

If we were to lose then their lives won't be worth living at work on Monday morning. But the main thing for me is if we can win tomorrow, and then again against Sheffield United on Wednesday, we really will stand a great chance of going up.

I think it's going to be a totally different game than the first one at Turf Moor.

But, from our point of view, we've got to look to win the battle before we can think about winning the war. And then once that's won, we can concentrate on playing our football because I believe we've got the better players.

Because I've been out of the country, I've not had as much stick off my mates in the build up to this one. But I'm sure they'll start cranking that up between now and kick off.

Our preparations for the game are going to be slightly different than normal.

The whole team are staying in a hotel tonight to make sure everyone gets plenty of rest. Then, in the morning, we'll have a bit of light breakfast before getting ourselves down to the ground.

When you're used to kicking off at three, an early kick off can sometimes disrupt your routine. But we were due to train today at 12 o'clock to get our body clocks in tune for tomorrow.

And I'm sure the manager will have us in tip-top condition by the time it comes to kick-off.

Before we went away to Dubai, I was starting to feel jaded after a series of big games in the space of a couple of weeks. But our break has left us all feeling refreshed and recharged, ready to face the challenges ahead.

The trip itself was amazing. I've never been on anything like that before but we all had a great laugh together and I'm sure it's done wonders for team spirit.

Our day at the races must rank as one of the best experiences I've ever had. It was a great atmosphere, the weather was boiling and all the lads had to dress up in suits so we could get into the international village.

The whole experience was totally different to anything you'd ever see in Europe and it must go down as one of the best days of my life. It's just a pity Flitty's tips weren't much cop.

And speaking of Flitty, he went down a storm with the locals when he entered a karaoke competition and won!

He does a mean Chesney Hawkes impression you know and brought the house down with a slick rendition of 'I am the one and only.'