Let us through...we're from Burnley

As Barack Obama begins redecorating the Oval Office in his paint stained tracksuit bottoms today a similar struggle to gain success is about to take place.

Tonight President Coyle will lead out his beleaguered Claret and Blue troops into battle at Turf Moor.

Our weary Lancastrians have lost five from their last seven games and are faced with righting a three goal deficit after the unjust four one defeat inflicted at White Hart Lane a fortnight ago.

The pain of defeat put a dampener on our planned assault on the Capital’s nightlife afterwards, although it was ruined further by a jobs-worth doorman in Leicester Square deciding a group of six young northern gentlemen was far too many to fill his empty bar on a bitterly cold Tuesday night.

Injuries and suspensions have hit hard this month, while performance levels have dropped faster than the banks share prices.

A seasonal defeat at Preston was typical of the bad luck the team is having at the moment. Not even a wonder strike from Robbie Blake could stop the referee interpreting the rule book with Lilywhite tendentiousness.

While City’s Arabs are being knocked back for attempting to corrupt and seduce Kaka by slipping millions of euros down his jockstrap, the other end of football’s financial scale is hardly as enchanting.

Offloading the likes of Gabor Kiraly Ade Akinbiyi and Steve Jones has become a necessity in order to bring in new faces.

This leaves the club in an arduous position and makes the task of strengthening weaker positions in the team such as central defence and right full back doubly difficult.

But we fight on with what we have. And there’s no doubt that within the current squad there is an abundance of attacking quality and drive in the midfield.

If we can get Chris Eagles, Wade Elliot and Robbie Blake on song with Chris McCann and Kevin McDonald surging through the middle then anything’s possible.

Winning the game would be a fitting end to our life in the competition. The score line might not be enough to send us down to Wembley but it will lift the spirits of the fans when form isn’t great and games are coming thick and fast.

Plus it’ll put a halt to any more altercations with oafish, overly fastidious London door staff.

Although if we do make it to Wembley there won't be any bars in the capital not full of Claret and Blue come the first weekend in March.