Results from the Clarets' league matches until the New Year will determine what sort of fight they will face in 2010, in what has so far been what must be one of the closest Premier League seasons since the format (as far as I'm concerned the league still began in 1888, so none of this dating the whole shebang only to 1992 nonsense) was introduced.

At the top end of the table, teams with the capacity to wheel out the big guns bought with big bucks, like Liverpool and Manchester City, have had campaigns that are best described to date as stop-start.

Lower down in the echelons not only Burnley, until the last few weeks, but Hull and Birmingham in particular, have shown some excellent form. No-one is adrift at the bottom yet.

This closeness may not last though. I suspect things will become stretched as 2010 dawns and the job of manager Owen Coyle and the squad is to make sure they are on the right side of it.

At the smaller clubs chance may also have its part to play - there's no doubt in my mind that Jimmy Bullard's presence on the pitch and probably in the dressing room has driven Hull's recent good run of results – how serious the injury Bullard sustained last weekend is may well have a big impact on their season.

Burnley were certainly on the wrong side of results against West Ham and Portsmouth. There;s no hiding our disappointment that both these games, among the most winnable or drawable fixtures November and December held, ended up with nil points.

Coyle was particularly frustrated by some of the goals given away in London and down at the south coast, and they reinforced to the players that mistakes at this level are more often than not punished.

It has again put pressure on the team to come up with another home win when Fulham head north on Saturday, particularly when it's followed by Arsene Wenger's Arsenal at home on Wednesday evening.

The three games that follow, at Wolves on Sunday, December 20 (1.30pm), home to Bolton on Boxing Day (3pm) and at Everton on Monday, December 28 (3pm) are proverbial six-pointers as things stand, so come January the task in hand will be more clearly set out.

Of course Burnley have had injury problems of their own, and it is hoped January will see Martin Paterson and Chris McCann return to the mix.

McCann is the best defensive midfielder Burnley have and will do much the relieve some of the pressure which has led to goals at West Ham (where the offside trap employed failed miserably) and Portsmouth.