A fan's eye view of the season, with Stephen Cummings

THEY say the darkest hour is just before dawn.

It is to be hoped the maxim has the ring of truth about it, because to be perfectly honest it is difficult to see where any inspirational shaft of light is coming from right now.

That having been said, there remains one last opportunity for the Clarets to salvage something from their season in the abyss. Tonight, Division Three pacesetters Notts County visit Turf Moor in the second round of the Auto Windscreens Shield.

On paper, the fixture could in no way be described as attractive. At this stage of the competition there is precious little romance or glamour to be had; the game will, without question, attract Burnley's lowest gate of the season. And yet, ironically enough it is a vitally important game for Burnley Football Club.

Lose it, and the season is all but dead, win it however and the Clarets season is given the kiss of life.

It could be argued that it is desperate in the extreme to be looking for a third-rate cup competition to be the saviour of the season. But these are desperate times for all concerned with the club, and we must be positive about clinging on to what little hope is on offer at this stage of the campaign. Another reason that tonight's game is important is for the supporters. So far in this season of bleak and almost unremitting gloom there has been very little on offer to cheer about. So far this campaign has seen the Claret and Blue faithful endure thick, thin and downright transparent as our beloved club has lurched from crisis to crisis.

It is far from unreasonable to ask that these long suffering supporters are given something to shout about it. On the contrary success in this competition would at least give the fans something, however small, to be proud of. It is the least we deserve.

The competition also brings with it fond memories for Burnley fans. Not many will forget that day in 1988 when over 80,000 supporters of Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers packed out Wembley Stadium for the final of this competition. It is a game the Clarets lost 2-0, but that was only half the story. More importantly it was a day for the fans to be proud of, a day when Burnley Football Club got some of the limelight that it deserved.

Tonight represents an opportunity for that day to be repeated.

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