Context is everything. I had in mind a somewhat different report on Saturday evening as we cantered back to London, as is often the case sharing the trip back from Burnley with Southern-based supporters of the opposing team. Happy, having seen a good game and a Burnley win, I began to think of joyful sentences. It wasn't until Sunday morning that I heard the news that a Forest supporter had been attacked and killed in the centre of Burnley. That event doesn't so much cast a shadow over the result as eclipse it. In the light of a death occasioned by a visit to a football match, the game itself is robbed of all meaning.
Remember that this is, ultimately, only a game we talk about. Football is a brilliant waste of time, and an enjoyable thing to do with your Saturday. It’s also a great way of meeting other supporters, both of your team and others, and one of the things I love about football is the fellowship and comradeship it offers with other people addicted to their weekend fix. But football shouldn't end in the loss of someone's life. It is at times like these that it is tempting to give up and take the Ceefax and B&Q route. How can any game ever be worth this?
I know, of course, that really this game belongs to us, to the kind of people who visit this site, and the kind of people who write for it: the decent supporters who want to see their team win, who are passionate and sometimes unreasonable, but who don’t see the need to assert their identity through confrontation or prove their masculinity through violence. We’ll have to keep going, because otherwise the yobs win. And we’ll keep writing, because we need to prove to other football fans that there’s more to Burnley than our current debased reputation.
And so, reluctantly, because for four seasons we’ve always done a report regardless, here’s a match report.
The stupid thing is that it was actually a decent game played in a good spirit. No news of what had happened filtered through to where I was sitting, and the atmosphere was positive and free from malice. Both sides tried to play enterprising football and it made for an entertaining, open match. Only the two referees - Lee Cable of Woking went off injured in the second half - got in the way of the game with a series of petty decisions and small mistakes.
We could have scored in the first minute, when Taylor didn't quite make the most of Little's cross. Their keeper Ward produced a good save, but a better placed header from Taylor would have left him with no chance. Then Weller had the ball in the net, but was judged to be offside. Burnley were on top in the early stages of the game and playing with a great deal of self belief, while the defence subdued the returning David Johnson, who had received generous applause from Burnley supporters.
The breakthrough came from Cook's excellent ball driven into the box from midfield. With Taylor looming, Briscoe wasn't picked up, and he finished well, sending a glancing header into the corner of the net. A second and possibly easier chance was to fall to Briscoe shortly before half time, but then he got under his header and scooped it over. Before that a sweet move involving a Little turn and a Blake shimmy deserved to end in a goal, but Blake’s shot was just wide.
Forest improved in the second half, during which Burnley predictably dropped back and defended deeper, Stan signalling our intent by withdrawing our key creative players as the half wore on. Johnson had a couple of good chances, but fortunately put them wide. We also had one excellent chance, when Little sidled through and squared it to Taylor. It wasn’t Taylor’s day, as with plenty of the goal to aim at he could only blast a shot straight at the keeper.
Our defence was up to the task, with the headband-wearing Davis providing leadership and Graham Branch looking every inch a defender. His clearance from the goalmouth towards the end of the game showed what he can do with a bit of confidence in him. Branch was easily my man of the match, although Paul Cook deserves an honourable mention for a non-stop performance in midfield.
The other thing of note was the substitution of the referee. Everyone else shuffled up one, with one of the linesmen taking over and the fourth official standing in with a flag. Unfortunately the new ref was every bit as fussy as the old one.
After surviving scares we finished the game pretty comfortably. On the balance of the play, Burnley just about deserved the win. We left happy in the rediscovery of our home form, which has seen us beat Coventry, Norwich and Forest.
All good feelings about the game were wiped out the next day when we heard the dreadful news. This has been a much shorter report than normal, but as you might expect my heart really isn't in it. Through shock and numbness, my thoughts right now are with the family and friends of someone who went to a football match and never came home. How can we ensure that this never happens again?
Subs not used: Cox, McGregor.
Referee: L Cable (Woking).
Scorers: (Burnley) Briscoe 28.
Attendance: 13,869.
Firmo's man of the match: Graham Branch.
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