There hasn't been much of the slow chugging uphill (Tuesday's late fightback to get a point against play-off rivals Cardiff City could even be considered a plus point) and plenty of the mad-eyed screaming, full pelt downhill bits.

These were achieved with some chopping and changing too, suspensions affecting the central defence in key matches like the Carling Cup victory over Chelsea, but Burnley have been reasonably lucky with injuries so far this season.

We're now entering a crunch month, not so much in terms of who Burnley are playing between now and more cup visits to London, against QPR and Spurs in the FA Cup third round and the away leg of the Carling Cup semi-final respectively, but in terms of avoiding the mid-term blues.

Last year I wrote about how form had dipped badly each season when the orange ball came into play. This year when said ball came into play in the fog-bound victory over Derby County, Owen Coyle's team carried on regardless!

Coyle is clearly key to the season's success and two of the most recent interviews given by players - Chris Eagles and Kevin McDonald - have indicated he was instrumental in them choosing Burnley when they had other options.

For the supporter, the last couple of months have seen the Clarets play their best football, consistently week in, week out, since the heyday of Jimmy Adamson's golden boys of the early to mid 1970s.

The attacking style of Coyle's team is very reminiscent of that era and they can maybe learn to be careful not to concede by moving too far up the pitch as Colin Waldron, among others, has bemoaned since that last white knuckle ride.

Time will tell whether they can emulate that side by winning promotion to the top flight and stay there, but in the meantime, Eagles is filling the role for excited young Clarets in the way Leighton James did three decades ago.

SPEAKING of golden boys, with the possible exception of 1920s idol Bob Kelly (now effectively out of living memory), they don't come any more golden than Jimmy McIlroy.

Jimmy played before my time but I know plenty of people who watched him play and there can't be a Burnley fan of any age who isn't aware of the reputation he has at the club as probably (only Kelly would come close) the greatest Claret of the club's 126-year history.

This week the Northern Irishman was honoured by his adopted town who have made him a freeman of the borough. Appropriately, bearing in mind the strange circumstances of his leaving the club (though not the town) in 1963, it was made on-pitch on Tuesday night.

Mac's reaction has been typically modest, feeling honoured and embarrassed at the same time. They've given it me for playing football and they say it gave them a lot of pleasure watching me play it, he said. But it gave me pleasure to play it and the great players around me made it easy, he went on.

Note, not a Baby Bentley or Ashley Cole-sized attitude in sight, and that's why he's still a real idol.