I am writing this as a Burnley supporter of some 40 years. I was lucky to see the great 60's side whilst still living in Halifax (shame about the Town!). Since moving to Essex in 1969 I have witnessed the highs (Spurs in the Milk Cup, promotion at Southend and Stockport at Wembley) and the lows (Orient at Brisbane Rd under B**d with five centre backs and a load of old expensive Man City has beens). Unfortunately I don’t get to many matches, as my son Ashley plays for Ryman League First Division side Barking and this involves Tuesday and Saturday journeys around the M25.
However, Barking were knocked out of the Trophy so we had a free Saturday which coincided with the Clarets at Palace. One of my son’s teammates is Michael Black (ex-Tranmere and played 25 minutes for Arsenal in Champions League v Panathanaikos!). He is the brother of Tommy Black, No. 11 at Palace. He managed to get us tickets with the Palace families, etc.
So to the game. It was interesting to note Brian Flynn walking to the bench. I had forgotten he was back - isn’t it good to see old heroes still around the club? The early part of the game was fairly even with Palace using their wide players Black and Gray. However, the workrate of the Burnley midfield plus Little and Ian Moore was very noticeable. The latter got the goal from a poor clearance by Palace and I forgot momentarily that we were sitting amongst the Palace families! The equalizer was also from a failure to clear the box from a corner and on this occasion the crowd around us erupted with only the two of us in our seats! 1-1 at half time was about right.
The second half saw Burnley stifling the service to the wide men and bossing the midfield. Cox and Gnohere seemed comfortable with the much vaunted Friedman and Morrison, and Branch increasingly realised he was defending, not strolling around at the other end. The winner came from my man of the match, Ian Moore, who took the goal well. His hard work and his ability for someone of shortish stature to win balls in the air were formidable. He is also adept at making runs. taking him the other side of defenders. I have not seen Gareth Taylor. but imagine he must benefit from his partner’s abilities. A word also for Briscoe, Weller (later Grant), Moore, A and even later Ball, who ran their socks off to ensure the Palace midfield did not get a grip. Unfortunately, Little did not live up to pre-match expectations
The result put us back on top and was warmly greeted by a considerable vocal traveling support. The players also seemed very pleased with their efforts. A well organized outfit who also played some clever, controlled football at times. Whether they are good enough for the Premier I am not sure. Probably need a couple of players - a playmaker (where was Paul Cook - on loan to Wigan?!) - and a bit more cover. Still, this Division is wide open and Stan is a wily strategist - who knows! Anyway, a good time was had by father and son, and we continue to be optimistic for the future.
The match report, more from
this game, the home game and this match last season
