It's all
worth it... isn't it?
Burnley 1 Portsmouth 1, Saturday 30 September 2000
Report by Julian Booth
The alarm breaks the silence of a peaceful
Saturday morning. Who am I kidding? It's only 5.30am; it’s the middle of the night.
This is most definitely the earliest start I have ever made in my football watching days -
and it’s a home game!
It’s only a 15 minute walk to the station,
and with every step I reach a higher level of consciousness and a lower level of sanity.
My walk is lit by the eerie orange glow of the streetlights and the only sounds I hear are
the monotonous drone of the milk float on his 6am milk round and the piercing cries of the
seagulls. I reach the station, buy my ticket and wait patiently for the 6.24am train from
Eastbourne to London Victoria, the first leg of my marathon journey to follow the Claret
and Blues. The offer of a free ticket to the game seemed so appealing a few weeks ago, but
on this dark and dank weekend morning I’m not so sure! Even though we were knocked
out of the worthless cup on Tuesday night by Crystal Palace, I took quite a few positives
from the team's performance, and I think that’s why I’m here at the start of my
six-hour train ride to Burnley. A tenuous explanation perhaps, but sure it’ll be
worth it… won’t it?
I arrive in Victoria station and sprint for my
tube ride to Euston. I’ve only 20 minutes to get there! I make it with less than five
minutes to spare and take my seat with the other hardy souls for the second leg to
Preston. We arrive a couple of minutes early and make the connection in plenty of time,
and are in our first pub in Burnley just after midday. The first pint didn’t really
touch the sides, and settled the nerves for what I see as quite a tough game, even though
our opposition’s away form is poor. The return to the team of two premiership
players, Bernard Lambourde of Chelsea and Marc Keller of West Ham, will add some strength
to the side that was easily dispatched from the Cup by that team down the road.
As I take my seat in the ground and watch the
ground fill up I am reminded that our last win against the Pompey was Feb 1982, 3-0
(Scott, Taylor and Phelan), but these are the games we have to win and my confidence
returns.
The first half passes by with the sort of
football you would expect from two bottom of the table third division strugglers. The
passing is inaccurate and neither team find their own players with any regularity. The
crosses are constantly over hit and as for the shooting, both goalkeepers are rarely
troubled. The Burnley defence are playing as well as they have all season and we
don’t look likely to get a stuffing until we play Fulham again, but chances are few
and far between. Payton puts a header of no power straight to the keeper and Mellon hits a
weak daisy cutter that is stopped with no effort by Hoult. For Pompey, Claridge, although
getting on, looks useful and his combination up front with Mills has the potential to be
dangerous when they are both on their game. The half eventually draws to a close and both
teams trudge off to their respective ear-bashings from two not too happy managers.
The teams emerge with no added vigor and Stan
soon changes things around as he takes off the hard working, but today ineffective, Andy
Cooke and on comes Branchy, the player who in my humble opinion had one his best games
last Tuesday at Crystal Palace. I bet he wishes he could play at Selhurst Park every week
after the two performances he had in the league and cup encounters. Portsmouth start to up
their play and the ball is sprayed around the park with a new found skill - and the
Burnley back line starts to wobble. Claridge breaks free in the area and only a last ditch
tackle by Paul Cook saves the day, at the expense of a corner, which is easily pouched by
Nick the Greek. Only a minute later Pompey so nearly take the lead when Mills, with a neat
piece of skill, makes the space inside the area to fire in a shot that hits the side
netting with NTG looking a bit slow to react.
The next Burnley change comes after 57 minutes
when Cook is taken off for the welcome return of Paul Weller, who has an instant effect on
the Burnley play, and with the help of Branch forces a corner on the hour. However the
result doesn’t match the build up and is easily held by Hoult. Burnley’s best
efforts are coming down the right wing through the play of Weller and Branch; after 65
minutes Branch is brought down with a crude tackle by Moore, Briscoe swings in the
resultant free kick, which seems to be flying over the heads of everyone, until at the far
post in comes Davis, whose header puts the ball narrowly wide. Probably Burnley’s
best chance so far.
We have a warning when Keller plays through
Claridge only for him to scuff his shot into the grateful arms of NTG. A minute later we
are not so lucky as Pompey take the lead which their play is beginning to deserve. Keller
breaks free from a lazy midfield tackle and threads the ball into the feet of Mills, whose
speed takes him ahead of Cox, and he slides a pass across the area for Claridge to beat
NTG and send the traveling Pompey fans wild.
Burnley look deflated. The game looks to be
going away from us and Stan seems to agree, with a substitution of Thomas for Jeppo. Is
this a last throw of the attacking dice or an attempt to shore up a shaky defence? We
manage to respond quickly when Jeppo sends over a hopeful cross which sees Ball race in at
the far post to slide the ball wide of the post. Then NTG does what can only be described
as a Kendall classic (remember him?). The ball is passed back from almost the half way
line and he picks it up. It must have taken the ref by surprise as he took a few seconds
to give the free kick. The Burnley wall waits on the six yard line for Keller to take the
free kick, which flies harmlessly over the goal and Turf Moor takes a collective sigh of
relief.
Just as time is running out and my 600 mile
round trip looks like a waste of time, it happens: an equaliser right out of the blue. A
cross is swung in from the left by Briscoe and out comes Hoult to catch it, but he misses
it and the ball falls to the floor. Pompey can’t clear and the ball lands at the feet of
Weller, who neatly places the ball into the far corner with some hint of a deflection - but
who cares, it's there and the whole ground erupts.
There are four minutes of added time and Burnley
press forward to try and gain an unlikely win, but try as they might the game ends in a
1-1 draw. Then comes the news that brings the loudest cheer of the day. The PA system
announces the result from the Hawthorns (WBA 1 B@$%*#ds 0), and for the first time in
eighteen years we are higher in the league than our near neighbours. It does make the long
return journey a little more bearable - and to the question was it worth it, "of
course it was" (said through gritted teeth!).
Team: Michopoulos,
Thomas (Jeppo 75), Cox, Davis, Briscoe, Cook (Weller 57), Ball, Mellon, Little, Cooke
(Branch 51), Payton. Subs not used: Crichton and Johnrose.
Scorers: Weller
(88) / Claridge (74).
Attendance:
15,494.
Referee: R
Pearson of Peterlee.
London Clarets Man
of the Match: Glen Little.
The away game
