There were more surprises in store. I was made substitute for Burnley's opening League match with Sheffield United at Bramhall Lane and with only five minutes left Mike Docherty went down injured. So on I came for my first taste of the big time since my Newcastle days back in 1965...as an emergency full-back! Burnley won 2-0 and I thought that would be the end of my defensive duties. I was dumbfounded when manager Jimmy Adamson named me as first choice right-back for the following game against Chelsea at home. I studied the team sheet over and over again, thinking there was a mistake.

I had never regarded myself as anything other than a striker or occasional midfield player. Anyway, for the first twenty minutes I really struggled to keep tabs on Chelsea's Peter Houseman who gave me a rare old chasing. I was positioned too far upfield and the ball was continually being knocked over my head. Gradually I came to terms with the position and must have made a good impression. So much so that I've been there ever since.

I've improved to the extent that I am now enjoying my football more than at any other time in my career. So by moving back I've made a tremendous advancement! Ridiculous, isn't it? I've always rated myself a pretty skilful player, the only difference is that I'm now allowed to express myself in the new role.

There's nothing as hard as a striker's job in today's football. Being one of the target men up front at Swindon I used to take some real buffetings from defenders. With your back to goal there is little room to try anything imaginative. So most of the time, all you could do was lay the ball off to colleagues running up in support. I used to get really depressed at times because it wasn't my game at all. Now, facing play all the time, I'm doing things I wouldn't have dreamed of last season, like holding on to the ball and trying to exploit gaps in the opposition's defence. My confidence is sky-high with this extra freedom.

The ease with which I settled into my defensive role has amazed me. If anyone could have predicted this dramatic change in events last season, I would have thought him mad! I believe it has put an extra five years on my career. I've always been a good reader of a game and this has helped me considerably. But even now, I get confused between the two roles. At times, when I overlap down the right wing and then lose the ball, I just start jogging back. It's only when my team mates start bawling their heads off for me to rush back do I realise that I'm not a striker anymore.

Let me pay tribute here and now to the Burnley lads who have helped me all the way. They're a tremendous bunch. It's hard not to shine when the whole side is playing magnificently. Players like Colin Waldron and Keith Newton have advised and encouraged me a great deal. We have a super side in the making at Turf Moor. Everybody oozes confidence. And when you consider that lads like Leighton James and skipper Martin Dobson have yet to reach their peak, the mind boggles at what this club could achieve.

Above all, the success we've had this season has come about with attacking soccer. We have frightened the life out of some teams with our ability and invention going forward. Most people expect a newly-promoted club to play defensively in order to consolidate their position. That's not Burnley...as most have found to their cost. We have a refreshing, attacking attitude which makes me so proud to be part of Burnley. And I couldn't have wished for a better start.

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