The Lads went to table-topping Turf Moor and brought home a valuable point, although that point was probably less valuable than the feeling of togetherness and achievement that the performance engendered.
It might have been goalless, but in becoming the first team since Man City a year ago to keep a clean sheet at the Moor we didn’t rely on a backs-to-the-wall, tin-hats-on, last ditch defending show. We took the game to Burnley, played football, and they didn’t like it very much.
The international break brought us another pair of serious injuries, with Jewi’s shoulder meaning we’ll not see him again this season (remember Luke rushing back from a similar problem?) and Ballard’s hamstring necessitating a couple of weeks with his feet up. All of this meant plenty of food for discussion on the way down – who’d play where at the back, where would O9 end up, that sort of thing. The weather was typical Burnley as we left God’s Own County, being dank and gloomy, but it sort of faired up as we approached our cocktail stop in Colne – and as we drew into town our bus was subject to abuse from a group of ten-year-olds. Start ‘em young, eh?
Anyway, we survived the Bash Street Kids, got ourselves suitably refreshed, had the local Burnley fans telling us we had a chance, and landed at the ground in time to nip to the cricket club – which, despite all the signs saying “home fans only” was, all three floors and the outdoor seats, packed with jolly Mackems and the new Edouard Michut song. Look, if we could win on our last visit, in the League Cup, with Grigg, Flanagan, and Dobson scoring, we could surely do something with a better side. Couldn’t we?
No time for a Benny and Hot (ask yer relative who served in the East Lancs Regiment in WW1), we squeezed into our seats and the Lads lined up:
Patterson
Hume Batth © O’Nien Gooch
Neil Ekwah
Roberts Pritchard Clarke
Gelhardt
..and a bench of Bass, Amad, Ba, Lihadji, Cirkin, Michut, and Anderson.
With Patto in the goal in front of us, we attacked the far end and our fans began an evening long assault on the earholes. We’ve had some impressive away attendances, and while this might not have been the largest, it was still a sell-out and the noise....well, it was something else. With Michut on the bench, there was even more responsibility on Dan Neil’s shoulders as he had Ekwah’s more physical presence alongside him to guide through the game – which he did magnificently. From the off, we worked our socks off and chased everything down, especially in the thirty yards from the home keeper, who didn’t look that comfy trying to pass it around.
The home fans were more than a little taken aback that we didn’t let them score, or even give Patto much to do other than take crosses, and at their end, we looked a bit dangerous. Burnley fashioned a couple of chances but contrived to hoof them way beyond the area where the intervention of Patto was necessary. Overall, the game was fairly even, but we simply weren’t in the mood to let the home side get into places from which they could cause our keeper any bother. They did pass it around nicely, as you’d expect, but get into the box? Nah, nothing doing. Our “high press” (just chasing the bloke with the ball, really) didn’t suit Burnley, and Joff nearly made them pay for not dealing with it when he nicked it on the edge of the box but was tackled before he could get his shot away. More noise from our end.
We conceded a corner which we didn’t deal with very well, allowing the ball to bounce about a bit, but Patto slapped away the eventual shot, much to the relief of the travelling fans – who responded by raising the volume a bit more. In response – a noisy crowd really does gee up the players – Joff got stuck in again and got it to Roberts, whose curly wifter brought a decent save from their keeper. More noise, but Burnley started to get their act together and fashioned a chance for Barnes (Ashley, not Nick) and with our hearts in our mouths, he struck it well enough – but over the top by a foot. Oh dear. With the home side spurred on by this, they upped their passing game, but we stayed calm and played to our strengths. Neil had an effort from distance saved, and Roberts was giving their left back a rough time.
Gooch produced some sterling work to block a couple of efforts, coming across from the left to get in the way of one that would have caused Patto a bit of bother. There were a couple or three challenges by home players that had us baying for the yellow card - one of them getting Neil so upset that he really gave the ref what for, making us fear that he’ be the one getting waved at – but the ref steadfastly refused to book a home player, much to the chagrin (lovely word) of our fans, who shouted a bit louder.
There were two added minutes, in which nothing much happened, then we had the chance not to get to the least accessible netties in the division (apart from Watford) as we wondered if Mogga would make any changes for the second half.
He didn’t, and neither did Kompany. Burnley continued to have a bit more of the ball than us, but we l probably looked more dangerous on the attack than they did, such was the urgency in our play. A couple of yellows belatedly arrived as the home side’s frustration that it wasn’t all going their way bubbled to the surface, and we wondered it one of them would double up and get sent off. Twenty minutes into the half, we replaced Ekwah and Joff with Amad and Michut – just as well, as their songs had been booming around our end since kick-off – and the industry of the latter and trickery of the former gave Burnley something new to worry about. We started to show more of our close passing game, and when Pritch got to Amad we thought we’d got the winner – but a Burnley boot deflected the shot over the keeper and it whacked off the bar and back into play, but we couldn’t get to the loose ball.
At the other end, our defence was all about clever positioning and closing down rather than blood and thunder last-gasp stuff, but we did need yet another brilliant block by Gooch to keep a shot away from Patto. With fifteen to go, Ba and Lihadji, on for Roberts and Pritch (whose language on being subbed probably offended any lip-readers in our end – he’d run himself into the ground, but simply wanted to carry on) provided more youthful enthusiasm that upset the home side further. Upset them to the extent that they conceded, but Ba was stood in the keeper’s way and we couldn’t really complain when it was disallowed. Bah, Ba.
There was a late and welcome appearance for Cirkin, on for Clarke, and he had a couple of minutes of normal and six added minutes to defend, but in truth he spent most of those eight minutes coming forward. While we didn’t create anything that troubled the home keeper, we nearly did, and that was a very good thing.
Some reports have said that it was a dull affair, but I’d have to disagree. Perhaps they needed the volume on their telly un-muting, as the racket from our end made for a great atmosphere, and there was no small amount of skill on display on the field.
No score, but I’ll quite happily take that as another step on the road to redemption. Well organised, well drilled, and timely and effective substitutions. Well done, boss.
Man of the Match? Several candidates, such as Neil and O9, and everybody played their part, but I’m going for Gooch for a typically energetic and physical evening’s work.
Oh, and the knobhead who threw the flare onto the pitch from our end - please explain the logic behind your actions. Idiot.
