
I’ve got mixed feelings about this one as I’m glad we got the point I’d hoped for against a close rival but it was a real sickener that we failed to score two penalties near the end. Still, when the dust settles, we went toe-to-toe with one of the best and we were as good as them.
BEFORE
Having finally bid farewell to Stoke it'll be great to get back to the promotion battle this evening. Burnley have the meanest defence in the league by a long way, only nine goals conceded in twenty-six matches, and they’ll take some cracking but I think we’re going to get a result. Alese will be unavailable and Connolly is obviously no longer an option, but apparently Enzo is fit and raring to go so we may well see him tonight. I’ll be watching the game in the company of other members of the London Branch and am looking forward to it. A win would take us above Burnley and into second spot but I’m not hoping that high and my match prediction is 1-1.
I got to the venue around 7.15 and after selecting a great spot checked the team-news to see that there were, of course, major changes from the FA Cup starting eleven. Only four players remained (Hume, O’Nien, Neil and Rigg) while Le Fee was making his debut with Mayenda dropping to the bench. Ballard was among the subs and I reckoned we’d be needing him later. I got chatting to a couple of the faithful and their match predictions were 1-0 and 1-2. There was a minute’s applause before the game started in memory of all those connected with Burnley FC who’d died in the last year. This included the great Leighton James, who had three separate spells at Burnley and also a good stint at Sunderland. Perhaps they included our fans and associates too but the sound wasn’t on the telly yet so I couldn’t tell…
THE MATCH
Enzo had his first touch in the second minute and he sent a cross from the left high and wide. He was just getting his eye in no doubt. Two minutes later we conceded the first corner of the game from which Foster sent in a clever shot that hit the side-netting. Not long after that a poor clearance from Mepham set up a shot that fortunately was straight at Patto. Burnley were having the vast majority of the possession and in the thirteenth they broke quickly before Anthony hit a powerful shot that Patto did very well to turn out for a corner. We had a free-kick not far outside their box in the sixteenth but it ended in an offside decision. We had our first chance in the twentieth when Isidor got on the end of a through ball and lashed a great shot that was only a little over the bar. Next thing Foster went on a powerful run that carved ominously through our defence but his final shot was way over.
As we entered the second quarter of the game I was pleased that we’d held out though it was clearly going to take something to get past that Burnley defence. Rigg did have the ball in their net just before the half-hour but it was clearly offside. Next thing Isidor nearly caught out Trafford in goal and things were feeling brighter. We conceded a free-kick at the left angle of our box in the thirty-fifth and it was well worked by Burnley before it culminated in a brave diving save from Patto. As half-time approached we were enjoying our best period so far and were at least keeping the ball well away from our penalty-area. I was a bit surprised that only one minute of added-time was announced but it suited me. It remained 0-0 as the whistle went and I was pleased with that as we’d held out well during that opening barrage and had taken the game to Burnley a lot more after that.
Burnley had a good chance in the first minute of the second period but Flemming blew it and next thing Enzo put in a great pass for the onrunning Isidor and his snap shot hit the right post. Things were going from end to end and it was shaping up to be a humdinger. A Le Fee shot in the fifty-fifth led to a corner and then another corner on the other side but Cirkin headed the latter well over. As the hour-mark approached we were playing confidently and moving forward well but Burnley had shown that they could break from defence into attack very quickly. Burnley had half a penalty shout in the sixty-seventh when Flemming went down in the box but referee Backhouse wasn’t having it. Backhouse? Maybe a Sunderland connection there. Anyway, Flemming was promptly subbed by Sarmiento.
Twenty minutes to go and optimism started to rear its ugly head. We had to endure several minutes of intense Burnley pressure but we held out well. In the seventy-seventh we made our first change, bringing on Mayenda for Rigg. Ten minutes to go and the ‘Points Lost in Final Ten Minutes’ box appeared on the screen with us at the top of the list and we could have done without that. Anyway, Ballard then came on for Mepham, who’d taken a knock. In the eighty-fourth Mayenda set up a great chance for Isidor as he raced into the box and he was brought down with Mr Backhouse immediately pointing to the spot. There was much shouting and leaping about in the bar but when Isidor took the kick, Trafford saw it coming and dived to his right to save it quite comfortably.
Six minutes of added-time were announced and the mood in the bar was positive. We won a corner in the ninety-second when a Burnley defender made what a lad behind me described as a “mint block”. Nothing came of it. In the ninety-fourth Cirkin was wiped out as he ran into the box and we were awarded another spot-kick. Trafford was down injured for a while, finally receiving a yellow in the meantime, before Isidor had the balls to have another go. There were cries in the bar, okay from me at any rate, for Enzo to take it. He hit it a bit further to the left than on his first attempt but Trafford did well to tip the ball away and it remained 0-0. The minutes kept ticking on until it finally ended 0-0. The Burnley players looked happy, as well they might be.