IT is an understatement to say that, for Nottingham Forest, trips to Turf Moor do not hold many happy memories.
Because, in recent years, they do not hold a single one.
The pre-match pie and peas may be among the best in the country for the visiting supporters – but Forest fans are still used to making the return journey home feeling sick to the stomach.
Their last three visits have all ended in defeat and two saw them concede five goals, amid humbling afternoons in the claret and blue corner of Lancashire.
But, while Billy Davies may, with an entirely straight face, claim his first priority when he returned for a second spell in charge at the City Ground was to avoid relegation, the mood will be very different than it was when he first took Forest there in 2009.
At that point, there is no question that the Reds were embroiled in a fight for survival – one that, under the guidance of the Scotsman, Forest eventually won.
Even last season, when Forest travelled to Turf Moor for what proved to be the penultimate game of Steve McClaren's disastrous tenure, Forest's goal was to claw themselves away from the relegation zone.
But there is, perhaps, no other fixture that could better demonstrate the transformation the club has undergone since.
On the pitch, of the side that started that most recent 5-1 defeat – which saw Forest 4-0 down by half time – only Andy Reid has any chance of being involved from the kick-off today.
More significantly, off the pitch, regardless of what the priority was when Davies first arrived, the goal now is a third consecutive top-six finish under the manager. Forest are looking up, not down.
Forest had hoped they would head north today with the chance to set a new club record of eight consecutive wins. They were robbed of that opportunity on Saturday afternoon, as promotion rivals Brighton made them fight all the way to claim a point at the City Ground, from a 2-2 draw.
But they will still head to Burnley with an eight-match unbeaten run on which to build further momentum – along with a sense of confidence and belief that will only have been swelled further by the events of a dramatic afternoon on the banks of the Trent.
And, equally importantly, they will face a Burnley side that, for once, is shorn of confidence on home turf, where they have not won their last five games – amid a run of just one victory in 11 matches overall.
They possess a striker, in Charlie Austin, whose tally of 28 goals this season is only made more remarkable by Burnley's struggle not to get sucked into a relegation battle.
And they head into the fixture on the back of a credible 3-3 draw at Watford, in which their in-form front man netted twice.
But, if Forest do feel they have a point to prove against the Clarets, now is the time for them to do it.
Following a weekend where Hull were the only side in the top nine of the Championship table to claim three points, Saturday's draw with Brighton has not really dented their hopes of a play-off place – even if their chance of closing the ten-point gap between themselves and the Tigers in second place now does seem a little more remote.
In fact, there were more positives than negatives to take from a closely contested clash with the Seagulls, which could hardly have been packed with more drama and controversy.
Referee James Linington found himself taking centre stage for all the wrong reasons. While replays suggested his decision not to send off Kazanga LuaLua after the Brighton man had charged into Sam Hutchinson was probably correct, many of his other decisions were debatable.
A free-kick awarded against Chris Cohen, when he had cleanly won the ball from Will Buckley, was integral to Brighton's opening goal, as a Leonardo Ulloa shot was brilliantly blocked at the expense of a corner by Danny Collins.
But, when Andrea Orlandi delivered the ball into the box from the corner, Ulloa was not to be denied for a second time, as he fired a low shot into the corner of the net to put the visitors ahead.
Lewis McGugan may not want the tag of super sub, but there is no other way to describe him after he came off the bench to net for the fourth game running.
This time it was a spectacular solo effort that saw him cut into the box from the right, after being fed by Reid, before rifling a rising shot high into the net, albeit with the aid of a slight deflection.
Ulloa was to play a key role for a second time, this time keeping his head to feed a simple, but incisive pass to Will Buckley for him to power Brighton ahead again, in the 85th minute, barely two minutes after McGugan had secured parity.
But Forest were not to be beaten as the previously superb Casper Ankegren, who had made a string of outstanding saves to deny Darius Henderson, in particular, suddenly fumbled a low shot from Henri Lansbury, allowing it to squirt between his legs and into the back of the net.
Forest were incensed when the referee failed to spot that sub Dean Hammond had flashed an arm into the face of Adlene Guedioura late on, leaving the Algerian international needing to go to hospital for a scan, after suffering blurred vision after the final whistle.
The midfielder is now a significant doubt for the trip to Turf Moor today, as Forest look to ensure they remain ahead of the Seagulls in the promotion race.
Brighton are not in action again until tomorrow, when they face Charlton on the south coast.
But, with Leicester City playing a Barnsley side that has struggled for form at Oakwell this afternoon, Forest will be hoping that the Foxes do not end their own recent struggle for wins.
But, if Forest can finally banish their bad memories of trips to Burnley to history this afternoon, by claiming a rare away win at Turf Moor, then they will not need to worry about anyone else.
And, if they show the same level of determination and spirit as they did on Saturday afternoon, then you would not bet against Forest enjoying a far better afternoon in the north-west than they usually do.
