A fan's-eye view from Turf Moor, with Stephen Cummings

SAY it quietly. Say it very quietly - but I think we might just be all right, you know.

Admittedly, being five points clear of the drop zone with seven games remaining is far from ideal and holds no guarantees of survival.

However, the way things have been going since the Manchester City disaster provides grounds for optimism for a number of reasons.

For a start, performances have improved dramatically. It actually looks like it matters to the players, rather than it being a case of going through the motions.

The arrival of Paul Cook, and more pertinently that of the almost unnaturally enthusiastic Tom Cowan, seems to have done the trick of lifting morale in the camp. All credit to the manager for two inspirational signings.

Since the pair came to Turf Moor, the Clarets have also run into something of a purple patch as regards form. They have lost just one in five. That, of course, was against Preston - and as has been well documented the Clarets more than deserved to take something from that game.

From that day to this, the team remain undefeated. Solid, if unspectacular performances, have earned them two valuable away points at Wrexham and Notts County.

Meanwhile, back at Turf Moor we have witnessed a return to home rule, with spirited victories against Macclesfield and Colchester, both achieved after going behind.

Equally encouraging is that goals, in such short supply recently, have begun to flow once again - seven of them in the last two home games. That Andy Payton has notched a treble is good news. Strikers, more than any other players, need confidence and the Padiham predator has been going through something of a barren spell of late. Payton has hit form at the crucial time.

Just as important as Burnley's renaissance is the form of the teams around them. Perhaps the most pleasing aspect of the Easter programme (other than the Clarets' resurgence) has been the "voiding" of our rivals' games in hand.

Even if Lincoln and Macclesfield were to take full advantage of their extra fixtures they would still be three points worse off than the Clarets.

For my money, the Clarets can scrape home with 47 points. A win and two draws from their remaining seven games is not beyond Burnley if they reproduce their current form to the end of the season.

It's not safe to relax just yet, but at least I can put the valium away.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.