Steve Cotterill described him as a ‘calculated risk’ when he paid £30,000 to make him his second Turf Moor signing back in July 2004, but ever since then Michael Duff has grown in stature and is now one of the first names on the team sheet.

Cotterill certainly knew all about the Belfast born defender, having been his manager whilst at Cheltenham Town, Duff’s only previous club, where the two helped the Whaddon Road outfit to several promotions, from the Dr. Martens League up into the Football League, and formed part of the Cheltenham team that knocked Burnley out of the FA Cup in 2002 and Cotterill has on several occasions gone on the record stating his admiration for him, and claiming that he hopes to make him a member of his backroom staff once he decides to hang up his boots and call a day on his playing days.

Duff started his Burnley career at right back, and was pretty solid but certainly did not look the finished article.  His distribution was very poor at times and his tendency to lunge in at wingers often left him vulnerable to silly bookings, and the rest of the defence exposed when he misjudged those lunges.

It was plain to see that full back was not his most comfortable position and he looked much more at ease when filling in at centre-back.  Cotterill told us when he signed that he would eventually play in the centre and he made the switch at the tail end of last season, and since then he has been a revelation.

This season he has made the position his own with a string of commanding performances at the back.  His form has forced Steve Cotterill to move Frank Sinclair out to an unfamiliar right back role to accommodate him in the centre and he really looks to be enjoying his football at Turf Moor at the present.  A string of outstanding recent performances have seen him make the Actim Index team of the month, along with fellow Clarets Brian Jensen and James O’Connor.

Duff will also be hoping to establish himself in the Northern Ireland team after securing a starting role of late.  Despite becoming Cheltenham’s first ever full international in 1999, until recently he has struggled to force his way into the national team on a regular basis. 

Since his move to Burnley he has added to his caps, though, and Lawrie Sanchez promoted him to the starting lineup for the famous 3-2 in over Spain and the 0-0 draw at Denmark.  He enjoyed impressive performances in both games and was many fans choice for man of the match in the latter.  Unfortunately, too many yellow cards meant that he missed the most recent international, a 1-0 win over Latvia, through suspension but he will be hoping to reclaim his place when he returns to the squad.

After undoubtedly being one of the stars of this season, Burnley and Northern Ireland fans alike will be hoping that he can keep up this form and possibly take his career to another step in helping the Clarets to the Premiership.  To play in the Premiership would be a dream for Duff, considering the fact that he started his league at non-league level and has worked his way up the leagues, having played at every level from Dr. Martens League to the Championship.

kevrobinson