LFL: BURNLEY

This turned out to be a much more comfortable win than I’d expected and both Diarra and Talbi proved that they’re worth including in our starting eleven. We’re back up to eighth position.  

BEFORE

Our first-half performance against West Ham was probably our worst half so far this season and it's still casting a cloud so we need to erase that this evening. Burnley are currently eleven points adrift from a safe spot and are looking a good bet for relegation but they've managed draws against tough opposition in their last three league games and will be no pushover. I'm very pleased that we didn't lose Geertruida after all and I hope he'll be in the squad for tonight's game. The side which started the second-half against West Ham was clearly a lot more effective so I imagine we're more likely to see them starting. I think Mundle has potential but for the time being I'd rather see him coming off the bench. If we can get a draw, we'll go above Newcastle but three points would move us up three places and that would be a great night's work especially with a few very hard games coming up. I'll be watching the game in the company of other members of the London Branch and I can see a very competitive match with us just squeezing a 1-0 win.

I got to the bar around 7:15pm and checked the team-news. There were two changes from our starting line-up last time out, with Diarra and Talbi replacing Mundle and Mayenda. There was much online gnashing of teeth about Hume’s inclusion in midfield again but we’d just have to hope that he’d redeem himself. Geertruida was on the bench. I was soon joined by a couple of the Faithful and their predictions were 3-1 and 2-1 to us. It being a cold winter’s evening there were only five of us in the bar as the match began.  

THE GAME

There was a pretty low-key start to the game till we took the lead in the ninth minute. A back-heel from Brobbey near the right angle of their box fed Diarra and he jinked to and fro before his low-shot took a deflection off Tuanzebe to leave Dubravka in goal wrongfooted and we were one-up. We kept on pressing and the next half-chance came in the seventeenth when Talbi got on the end of a cross from the right but didn’t quite connect properly and his shot ended up well wide of their left post. Brobbey was looking his usual tower of strength upfront and we looked good for another goal before long but then we began to pass it sideways and backwards for a short while causing my mate to shout, “C’mon, behave!” in exasperation. We conceded a free-kick in a dangerous spot in the twenty-third but thankfully Burnley wasted the chance.  

We seemed to be slacking off a bit and that was definitely not what we fans in the bar wanted to see. Le Fee had a low shot on target right on the half-hour but Dubravka had it well covered. I felt sure that a second goal would knock the stuffing out of Burnley and a minute or so later we got it. It started with a great diagonal ball from Le Fee which found Mukiele racing down the right and when his cross came over Diarra was waiting for it. He had to have two attempts but his second one went in, to much joy in the bar. Shortly afterwards the commentators said that Dairra’s first goal was going down as an own-goal – a shame for Dairra but it was all the same to me. Our passing was getting sloppy at times but Burnley hadn’t shown much of a threat in attack so we managed to get away with that. In the closing minutes of the half Ugochukwu was the first player to be booked, for a foul on Diarra, and then we had a penalty shout waved away. Four minutes of added-time were announced. It remained 2-0 as the half-time whistle went. It had been comfortable enough so far but goal-difference as ever could be a factor so we needed to keep up the momentum and go for as many goals as possible.

As we kicked off again Burnley had made a change with Laurent replacing Tuanzebe but we were unchanged. Burnley started with some purpose and won a corner in the first minute. It came to nothing and next thing Talbi was pelting up our left wing getting the crowd going. We were definitely on the receiving end for much of the opening eight minutes or so of the half but Roefs hadn’t been threatened yet. We conceded another free-kick in a dodgy position but when Kyle Walker’s kick came across Esteve’s header was a mile off-target. Reinildo had a shot just on the hour-mark that wasn’t too far wide, though the commentator thought it was further off-target than me. I wondered which changes we’d make and I could see Isidor hitting Burnley on the break. It would also be nice to see Geertruida making an appearance and receive some love. Dubravka saved well from a low Brobbey shot in the sixty-fifth and Mukiele was hurt in the follow-up action but managed to continue.

Shortly afterwards there was a spot of handbags between Hume and Dubravka. It looked like a clear over-reaction from Dubravka to me but they both received a yellow. Anthony soon joined them in referee Paul Tierney’s book for a foul on Ballard. Twenty minutes to go and things were looking good. Mukiele put a great cross in from our right but nobody could get on the end of it. Not to worry, though, as next thing Talbi received the ball near the left angle of their box and lammed a beautiful goal into the top-right corner. He and Diarra had certainly proved their worth. In the seventy-ninth we made a triple-switch bringing on Isidor, Mundle and Geertruida for Brobbey, Diarra and Talbi. A Hume shot was deflected out for a corner in the eighty-third but nothing came of it. O’Nien replaced Alderete with four minutes on the clock and I was happy to see his grinning face. Isidor had a tentative lob on target in the final minute and then four minutes of added-time were announced. Walker got his eighth yellow of the season and that was about it before the whistle went and we’d won 3-0.