Like being on planet Mercury
Concrete
Cows 2 Burnley 2
Report by Barbara Bruce and
Joan Last
Barbara
takes you through the first half:
The
autumnal nip in the weather matched the mood
of the game: cloudy and dull with the odd
bright patch here and there, followed by
a gathering gloomy depression. The journey
to Milton Keynes via the A5 had been no problem,
and the free parking close to the ground
was an excellent bonus; however, a delayed
fifteen minutes kick-off was not an ideal
start to the game. The players returned to
the pitch at 2.50pm to resume warm-up activities,
which must have been very frustrating for
them. I felt there had been a strange atmosphere
around the ground, probably not helped by
the vast surrounding open spaces which severely
subdued any communal chanting or friendly
banter between rival fans. Carnival atmosphere?
NEVER!!
The
inflated gate prices for very basic facilities
did not go down too well with the visiting
supporters. Well done, Mr Kilby, for offering
us a rebate - I wonder how many other Chairmen
would have taken this step? The programme
prices were also a ripoff: £3
for a very average production. Needless
to say,
I did not purchase a copy!
Eventually,
at approximately 3.15pm, kick-off took place,
and immediately Facey gave away a free kick
in a dangerous area. Holdsworth took the
kick, which was scooped up by Jensen, who
showed no signs of the leg injury that he
had picked
up midweek. Wimbledon continued to pile
on the pressure, obviously wanting to impress
the new-found fans, but our defence held
out, solidly marshalled by May and Todd.
Midfield
passed the ball impressively, with effective
interchanges between Camara, Chadwick and
Blake, but on numerous occasions these
promising moves faltered when no one was
centrally
up front to either head the ball or slot
it into the net. Then came a scary moment:
suddenly, a Wimbledon player burst through
our defence. Well offside, we all thought,
but no - he kept rushing forward towards
Jensen. Suddenly, from nowhere, Todd rushed
in with
an excellent tackle to put the ball behind
for a corner.
At
the other end, Chadwick was beginning to
worry the Wimbledon defence. He rose high
to challenge
Heald, and won a well deserved corner. The
game then became a rather scrappy affair,
with stray passes being picked up by both
sides and then given away again.
Mr
Warren, the referee, had decided that this
must be
the Dons’ day, and he proceeded to
give yellow cards to the Burnley players
for no
apparent reason. Robbie Blake sneezed, and
promptly received a yellow card, but a few
moments later he replied by taking a free
kick which bounded off the goalkeeper and
a defender, and, to our surprise, flew into
the back of the net!! Yippee!! 1-0
to Burnley!
Out
came the yellow card again, this time to
May, and yet the offence seemed to be minimal.
Little did we know at this stage how costly
this would be. Agyemang seemed to be influential
for the Dons, and he picked up the ball well
and shot on numerous occasions - thankfully,
wide. As half time came nearer, one-nil
was acceptable. However, Facey picked up
the ball on the wing and sent an exceptional
cross
in to Blake, who made it 2-0 to Burnley.
The ball was deflected, but as the Burnley
fans were at the other end, this was not
apparent.
Just
before half time, Moore received the
ball and proceeded to make a pacy run,
only to be upended by Holdsworth. Amazingly,
Holdsworth
received a yellow card - which was applauded
by the visiting fans. Half time came, and
a 2-0 scoreline was fair. We were
well on top, mainly as a result of our
solid defence. Surely there was no way back
for the Dons, who had put together some
good
runs
but could not finish effectively?
There
were signs during the interval that things
were going to go downhill, when the Master
of Ceremonies tried to drum up some enthusiasm
amongst the home fans. He suggested that
there should be a new Milton Keynes chant,
and invited everyone to shout... wait
for it... Concrete Cows!
Joan
takes over for the second half:
It
was like being on planet Mercury: my encyclopædia
says it has a tenuous atmosphere, mainly
of helium and sodium, and a week magnetic
field!
The
second half started - and the referee came
to the rescue of Wimbledon, and ruined the
game completely. More decisions against Burnley;
some understandable, others not. We had chances
- why won’t they “shoot on
sight”, as
last week? The people on the other three
sides to us (and maybe those watching free
from
the field behind us) were getting excited.
Were the concrete cows stirring?
Wimbledon
made a substitution - Jarrett off / Gordon
on. The ball was sent down the field, May
collected
it, under no pressure, but the whistle went.
A free kick to Wimbledon - but then the
referee went over to his assistant (the one
in the
first half who had difficulty seeing offside).
After consulting him, he showed a yellow
card to May for deliberate handball!
Oh, no! Inevitably, a red card followed.
May sent off! What a joke!
Stan
made a substitution, and took Blake off to
put Branch on for the defence. The team worked
hard to keep the Dons out. Moore had a good
run onto the ball, but unfortunately Heald
got there first. Another free kick given
to Wimbledon, as one of their players fell
over the ball. The shot went wide. Chadwick
was still running and working hard to get
through, but offside was given. Facey then
had a chance from a long ball, but his shot
was tipped over the bar by Heald for a corner.
Wimbledon
get the ball from the corner after the ball
is given away, run down the field... and
score. Holdsworth makes it 1-2.
West
made another good stop, as the Dons gained
encouragement from the home crowd. Are they
still here?
Five
minutes later, another shot at goal from
Wimbledon. Jensen makes a good save, but
put the ball
right at the feet of Agyemang, who scored
to make it 2-2! Thank-you, ref, for
some of your decisions.
Stan
made another substitution, and took off the
hardworking Chadwick to be replaced by Chaplow.
Would this give us the break we deserved?
Sadly, no, and the game ended at stalemate.
The concrete cows were more relieved. They
had played a game in their new home, but
for the Burnley fans it was a ripoff from
start to finish. Final score: Wimbledon 2
Burnley 2.
After
the match, as I drove up to Todmorden instead
of back to Essex, I listened to Radio 5 Live,
and was constantly screaming at my radio
as several people from Milton Keynes phoned
in to say what a wonderful day they had had.
I bet they were the ones who got the freebie
tickets! Will they be there again come hell
or high water, on a Tuesday night, or on
a Saturday in the winter when it is wild,
wet
and windy?
I think not!
Team: Jensen,
West, May (sent off, 57), Todd, Camara,
Farrelly, Weller, Blake (Branch, 58), Chadwick
(Chaplow, 73), Ian Moore, Facey.
Subs
not used: Roche, Grant, O'Neill.
Scorers: (Concrete
Cows) Holdsworth 66, Agyemang 71 / (Burnley)
Blake 21, 37.
Referee: M
Warren (Walsall).
Attendance: 5,639
(official figure)*.
*Editor's
note: many of those who were at the game believed
the ground to
be
nearly
full.
We've heard that the
stadium's total capacity of 9,000 is made up
of 2,000 away seats, 5,000 home seats, and
2,000
"corporate"
seats. The "corporate" tickets don't
count in attendance figures, as they
are not available for public sale. Apparently,
5,000 home tickets
were purchased for the Burnley game,
plus 639 away tickets, making a total of 5,639.
Perhaps this explains the disparity between
the official and perceived attendances.
Barbara
and Joan's men of the match: Robbie
Blake, Luke Chadwick.
"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."
