I THINK it's fair to say that the game against Preston North End is a massive one for Burnley.

And I say that for a number of reasons.

Firstly, we need to get Tuesday night out of our systems.

Everyone expected us to get the three points against QPR and it was a real disappointment that we came away with nothing.

We could have gone fourth with a win so that made the 2-0 reverse even more disappointing.

Secondly, we need to get back to winning ways at Turf Moor. Burnley have been unstoppable away from home under Owen Coyle, but they haven't been able to replicate the same form at home.

Tomorrow, in front of what is bound to be a bumper crowd at Turf Moor, the Clarets have a chance to put on a good show in front of their own fans and possibly try to encourage one or two of the doubters to make more regular visits to Burnley's home games.

And, finally, it's a massive game because of the opponents. There's a lot of pride at stake with it being a Lancashire derby and one the fans dare not lose.

This is the perfect game to follow such a disappointing night. The players will be really keyed up for this game and won't want to suffer another reverse at home.

It's really difficult to put your finger on what's going wrong. I think we only had one shot on target, when Alan Mahon hit the post in the first half, but apart from that we really struggled.

Maybe it's because sides are happy to sit back and try and hit us on the break, but that's something we have to deal with.

There's a lot of similarities between Tuesday night and the game we've got coming up against Preston.

Both teams are struggling at the wrong end of the table, with relatively new managers and both desperately need a win.

But these are the sort of games that we should be looking to win, and that is why this is a massive game for Owen Coyle.

He's still getting to know his players and if he wants to make changes, he won't be able to change too much because of the size of the squad.

I know he's got the quality to get a result against Preston, it's just a case of finding the right formula at home to get that.

Once we figure that out, we'll be hard to stop.