What has changed? Nothing really, just a little thing called luck. As Burgess himself was quick to point out, he felt just as confident of scoring the chances he had against Lincoln and Mansfield as he did those against Scunthorpe. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to suggest for one minute that that is all it comes down to. In fact, I believe very strongly that you go a very long way to creating your own luck. Without doubt, successful teams have a greater share of 'luck' than those who are struggling. They're bound to aren't they, they've already thought as much and convinced themselves that this is the case, well before a ball is kicked.
Most of us have known for a very long time that football is 90% mind games. Cup games provide regular evidence of the small margins that can exist between players on a purely physical level. Those who take that extra leap forward more often than not have a focused, intense, single-mindedness, which is not synonymous with cleverness, but the ability to channel positive thoughts into performance and negative ones into the waste bin.
Of late, you could look at someone like Lawrie Dudfield. A star in the making at Leicester, he moves to City, a club seemingly on the up, and channels all these positives into his performances. Things eventually go awry for the team, and so does he, turning into a shadow of his former self. He moves on to Northampton who go on to do 'a City', buying big, building expectations, then falling flat. What a surprise that Lawrie follows suit. Eventually, he moves on again, this time to Southend, a club with little expectation. Unsurprisingly he is suddenly revived and scoring goals again.
Lawrie is obviously someone who has undoubted ability, it's just that he is prone to noticeable changes in confidence and approach linked firmly with the fortunes of his team. In short, he doesn't have the mindset to get you out of a hole, he will more than likely end up wallowing in it with you.
I think City now have more players with a stronger mental approach. As such, I think we have enough of a collective will to nudge us past the finishing post in third place. If we don't, I'll be the first in line for a lobotomy!