Special Branch
Burnley 1 Derby County 0
Report by Julian Booth
The result was really all that mattered in this do-or-die relegation six-pointer, but we got a bit of a performance as well. The Burnley faithful turned out in their thousands for the biggest crowd of the season so far. They were there to passionately cheer their team to three points, and near safety, in the penultimate home game. The whole of the season virtually came down to this ninety minutes that lay ahead of us - and I can tell you, I was very nervous. The thought of all that graft and hard work that Stan and the boys had put in over the last few years going down the tube was too much to think about. I know the last two seasons have been difficult to take, and that the ITV disaster didn't help, but the thought of playing Doncaster Rovers next season (no offence, Doncaster) was unbearable.
If we think we had got it bad, then what about poor old Derby? They were in the Premiership in the very recent past, and still have the gloom of relegation hanging over them. Still, that's not our problem. If you overspend in an attempt to keep Premier League status, then you have only yourself to blame.
The relief felt by us all was tangible after the match, and you found yourself just wishing away the second half in a desperate attempt to feel the liberation of the final whistle.
What a beautiful, glorious, sunny day we had for this tense, crucial, bottom-of-the-table encounter. The tension of the match and magnitude of the whole occasion seemed just miles away as we all enjoyed a pint, stood by the side of the canal, just minutes before kick-off. This was a day when the need for Dutch courage was imperative in a vain attempt to steady all of our fragile and frail nerves. The task ahead of Burnley was to win two League games in a row. Not too hard, you would think, but do you remember when the last time this season was? Well, it was in August, at the very start of the season...
Well, it was only against Derby, and they were below us in the table - but how many so-called easy games have we lost to inferior sides this year? To try and over-analyse this game was just making all the fears worse, so a few more cheeky pints were downed and off to the match we went. The good weather had brought out lots of the less regular supporters. This would hopefully help to inspire the team and attract these fans back again soon.
The match started with Burnley taking the game to their opponents, and we genuinely looked as if we wanted this game. Could we keep it up? The action started early with a flurry of Burnley corners, and a good header from David May that Lee Grant kept out with a confident punch to clear his area. It was a scrappy game, littered with offsides and nervous play from both teams. I felt that we had the upper hand, though, as Derby really did not seem to have any idea how to threaten our goal. I say "had no idea" - that was until that little Canadian got on the ball, and then everyone was anxious.
The better play came from Burnley, as accurate passing was the order of the day; but where was that goal going to come from? The midfield pairing of Chaplow and Johnrose tackled everything that moved, and broke up any momentum that Derby had at all. These two players were at their best, and helped to make Derby look the very ordinary, average side they are today. This play, however, did not look like it would lead to a final result. An inswinging corner from Blake led to Lenny fouling the keeper, and another good chance was gone. Even Jensen began catching corners as the confidence must have been distilled throughout the whole Burnley side. Then it nearly went wrong, as the gangly Spanish forward Manel shot just over the bar on 24 minutes. This was followed by a few sharp intakes of breath by several Burnley fans. Well, it was probably just me, as it wasn't that close - but when he hit it I feared the worst.
The ball was in the net after half an hour, but Little was flagged offside just before May tapped the ball into the net. The next chance again fell to Derby, as Osman shot straight at Jensen, when better placed inside the area, with five minutes of the half remaining. Then it happened: a miracle, a sight that was so unbelievable it seems pure fiction that I am typing it now; but Branch scored again. This was no ordinary goal, though - and to Branch's credit, neither was the West Ham goal. It was inspirational, and it lifted a lid of tension off the Turf Moor cauldron.
He picked up a pass from McGregor on Burnley's left wing and began a charge towards the Derby goal. He cut inside the right back Mawene as if he wasn't there, leaving him sprawling in his wake, and curled the ball into the far corner. He turned in pure ecstasy and ran towards the jubilant Burnley fans, who were going berserk. The relief around the ground was touchable: it felt like all your dreams had been granted (bad joke?). The dive of the Derby keeper was less than impressive, and contributed to the goal looking as good as it did. He almost seemed to dive over the ball as it arrowed into the back of the net - but quite frankly, WHO CARES!!!! The half time whistle soon followed, and gave us all a chance to catch our breath. We were ahead, but could we hang on and claim these precious points?
The second half, quite amazingly, flew by, and Derby seemed to offer very little threat to the Burnley goal. The game looked like it would end with just the one goal - but with Burnley, it's never that simple, is it? The majority of possession was with the visitors as they poured forwards in search of something from this game. It took some brave defending and a great last-ditch challenge on Peschisolido by Camara to keep the rampaging striker out. The Derby attacking did leave gaps at the back, but Branch could not capitalise when a good chance came his way from a Camara cross - it landed safely in the arms of Grant. A sharp stop from the big Dane kept out Osman after 67 minutes, and a quick clearance from Mo stopped Manel from pouncing on the rebound.
On 69 minutes they brought on Reich for Bolder, and Burnley offered Wood as a replacement for the ineffective Little. Jensen's best save came with little over ten minutes to go. He saved Taylor's effort by punching it clear of the lurking Peschisolido. There was no further contribution from the Canadian striker, as Junior replaced him soon after. The sub nearly got a point for the away side, but a brave clearance from Chappy off the line from a Derby corner saved the day.
The game really faded away, and after an eternally long three minutes of injury time the final whistle blew. It was greeted with a rapturous round of applause from the massed Burnley fans as near safety was celebrated. It's always best to be cautious and say "near safety", as I really don't want to tempt an amazing Walsall comeback, but it's so close, and all will be finalised (I think) on Saturday. It's at least all in our own hands, and a point at Rotherham will assure us of another First Division campaign next season. There must be changes if our next attempt at survival is not to run so close to the wire again, but can we afford to make the changes we obviously need? We will lose some players, and again not be able to replace them with ones of an improved quality. It may be another struggle, but until we can address this financial shortfall I suppose there is little else we can do.
I would like to finish by congratulating Stan and the team for their efforts this season. It has not been easy for any of us. Let's just be mathematically safe, and then concentrate on trying to bolster the team. All we can do as supporters is support all the financial efforts Burnley are attempting as a team. And get yourselves involved in the Supporters' Trust: it's the best idea to come along for ages, and the most positive way forward to save our team. I would also like to thank Tony Scholes and Dave Roberts for their hard work in getting this idea moving - but we all need to get behind them 100% to help this Trust work. I would also like to point out that for the 5 match reports I've done, we've gained 10 points: a great return for my reporting season. Enough of that - and come on the Clarets for next season.
Burnley: Jensen, Roche, May, McGregor, Camara, Little (Wood, 70), Chaplow, Weller, Johnrose, Blake (Chadwick, 77), Branch.
Subs not used: Adebola, Alan Moore, Abbey.
Scorer: (Burnley) Branch 42.
Referee: Eddie Evans (Manchester).
Attendance: 16,189.
Julian's Man of the Match: Richard Chaplow - a tigerish midfield display and lots of tough tackling that broke up the Derby midfield.
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.
