Cometh
the hour, cometh the Chap
Burnley
1 Crewe Alexandra 0
Report by Julian Booth
At
the end of the day I suppose it's the result that
counts - and the grasping of the oh-so-valuable three
points - rather than the performance. If that's the
case, then ultimately this was a satisfactory afternoon.
Back
in the real world, however, this was a performance
that only served to instil deep within us a fear
of what is to come in the long, enduring season
ahead. Our build-up play was often intricate and
precise, but the final pass or cross was aimless
or lacked conviction. This game further highlighted
the frailty and lack of depth that currently makes
up the Clarets' squad. We are so short of numbers
that we again failed to turn out a full complement
of substitutes, and for the majority of this
tense game we played with the diminutive figure
of Alan Moore spearheading our attack.
There
was a battling quality evident in today's game
as the Burnley players strove to grind out a home
victory - a very encouraging sign. The heart of
the midfield was occupied by Chaplow and Grant,
who both put in honest, hard-working performances.
Now, with Grant, as hard as he tries, he is often
absent from the game for considerable spells; but
he threw in some telling interceptions and timely
tackles to show that there may be a footballer
hidden in there... somewhere. As for Chaplow, this
boy is eighteen and he never stops; he deserved
his goal, and finished the game chasing down every
ball as our lone striker.
Our
defence at times was ripped apart by stray, sloppy
passes, usually from Camara, and by a lack of cohesion
as large holes appeared in our paper-thin back
line. Crewe did show flashes of their accurate
passing game, but luckily for us they weren't going
to score had they played until midnight.
The
game started at breakneck speed as both sides sprayed
passes neatly around the park. Burnley's cool passing
game earned them an early corner, and then a shot
from the ever-cultured Robbie Blake that flew narrowly
over the bar. The Clarets often found space on
the wings, but their crosses lacked direction and
accuracy.
Just
after Chaplow had fired over as the Crewe defence
retreated came a sight that did not instil hope
in our souls. Ian Moore limped off, to be replaced
by Alan Moore... where were the goals coming from
now?
Crewe
did have their chances, and nearly scored from
a neatly-taken corner after twenty-five minutes:
a back-flick created the opening for Jones to fire
wide past the statuesque Beast. The presence of
David May in our rear guard has strengthened the
defence, and he proved his quality with a brilliant
double tackle to foil another Railwaymen raid.
I am worried about the lack of mobility shown by
Jensen - he does not seem sure when and where to
move out to assist his defence. Maybe they are
still getting to know each other, or maybe he is
just slow.
The
best chance of the half came as the half time cuppa
was brewing, and fell to Chaplow. He seemed to
panic when the chance presented itself, and as
quick as a flash it had gone. A nil-nil scoreline
at the break meant we were at least still in the
game.
A
revitalised Burnley appeared in the second period,
and within the first fifteen minutes were nearly
out of sight. The breakthrough came on fifty-two
minutes, when Little's brilliance created room
for a cross. Alan Moore deftly dummied
to leave Chaplow a clear shot, which he gratefully
slammed into the net. Shortly afterwards, the sublime
Chadwick and Blake combined to leave Little open
in the box, but he blazed his shot wildly over
the bar.
Then,
the charitable Mr Laws gave a rather harsh penalty
in our favour for hand-ball, but a brilliant stop
by Ince foiled Blake's effort to secure goal number
two.
A
subdued Crewe were never completely out of the
game, and their cleanest chance came after seventy
minutes. Camara again demonstrated his complete
lack of a first touch by presenting the ball back
to the Crewe winger; his cross found Jones, who
(with the goal gaping and the Beast's feet rooted
to the ground) managed to hit the post. A collective
sigh reverberated around Turf Moor as Burnley hung
on - that was very close!
Burnley
then switched to "Let's just protect our lead"
mode, and let a demoralised Crewe back into the
game. A shot just wide and a cross flashing across
the goalmouth nearly created an equaliser, but
it just wasn't their day. The fans sensed the nervousness
of the team, and tried to cheer them home. The
late introduction of King Arthur was merely
to waste time, as he had no idea where he was playing!
It
was with a huge sense of relief that we all welcomed
the final whistle. It's three more points, but
how long can this fragile squad of players keep
going? The lack of depth is quite worrying, and
needs to be sorted out, but let's be grateful
and enjoy the heady heights of mid table.
Burnley: Jensen,
West, May, Branch, Camara, Little, Chadwick,
Chaplow (Gnohere, 87), Grant, Blake, Ian Moore
(Alan Moore, 21).
Subs
not used: O'Neill, Scott.
Crewe: Ince,
Wright, Moses (McCready, 70), Foster, Vaughan,
Cochrane (Sorvel, 71), Lunt, Brammer, Rix
(Smart, 77), Jones, Ashton.
Subs
not used: Bankole, Walker.
Scorers: Chaplow
52.
Referee: G
Laws (Whitley Bay).
Attendance: 11,495.
Julian's
man of the match: Richard Chaplow.
As with all articles on the site, the views expressed in the match reports section are those of the individual contributor, and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Burnley FC London Supporters Club.
