All things bright and beautiful
Burnley 4 Ipswich Town 2
Report by Joan and Barbara Watson
Barbara recounts the first half:
Leaving King's Cross early on Saturday morning, it was very cold and frosty but with promise of a bright, sunny day. We were also hoping for a bright, sunny performance from our heroes!
The journey was straightforward with no travel problems, and we arrived in sunny Burnley on time. The ‘boys’ went off at pace, led by Woody, for their lunchtime diet.
Burnley ran out to cheers for Richard Chaplow after his England U21 debut match in the week. The game started with Burnley kicking off towards the Jimmy McIlroy stand. The first attack saw Camara run down the left wing and put in a cross, which was caught by the goalkeeper. Ipswich then attacked, and their cross was cut out by McGregor for a corner.
The first real threat from Burnley came from Little, who sent a cross into the area. Ian Moore stepped over it for Weller, but his shot was saved. A dangerous moment followed when Ipswich came forward and the Burnley defence backed off to let them through; luckily, the ball ran out of play.
May was then penalised for climbing over Kuqi's back. The free kick was taken, but the weak shot was collected by Jensen.
Little and Blake were causing problems in midfield, Chaplow seemed to be everywhere, and Moore was chasing all over the place. Burnley were playing well, but Ipswich didn't look like the team who had won their last 11 away matches. Camara made another run and played a long ball in for Little to head on, but it was cleared by the defence.
Then, Blake played an excellent ball across the field to Camara, who put a good cross in to Chaplow, but this was again cleared by Ipswich. Burnley continued to attack; this time, Weller crossed the ball in to Blake, and on to Little - who SCORED!!!
1-0 to BURNLEY! This is what we came to see! We'll travel 500 miles for this!
Robbie Blake took a free kick, and Diallo, whose return to the Turf was short of welcoming, put the ball out for a corner. This one came to nothing; but the next one, Blake put a super ball across for May to head into the net!
2-0 to BURNLEY! Now we're looking good!
Ipswich still tried to come forward, but the defence was holding out. Jensen had to be alert, though he didn't have too many saves to make. A mix-up between Little and May, both leaving the ball for each other, almost gave Ipswich a chance, but the shot was put wide.
Roche and Grant both made important tackles. Kuqi ran the ball out of play under pressure from Little. May should have cut out a pass, but gave away a corner. Chaplow made a good run down the field, and it took two defenders to get the ball off him. McGregor had to make a desperate tackle to stop an Ipswich attack, and earned himself a yellow card. From the free kick, the shot came straight across towards us in the Bob Lord stand! That just about summed up Ipswich's first half.
Burnley continued to attack, Ian Moore chasing long balls and worrying the defence. There was another worrying moment when Jensen had to come right out of his box to kick the ball away out of play.
The half time whistle was welcomed by well-deserved cheers and applause from the Burnley faithful, hoping that the team continued to play as well in the second half.
Let's hope that Stan praises them and keeps them going in the second half. Bright and sunny, so far!
Half Time: BURNLEY 2 Ipswich 0.
Joan takes over for the second half:
At half time, Drissa Diallo was taken off and replaced by Pablo Counago. To be fair, his return to Turf Moor was uninspiring, and he was booed every time he touched the ball. This was a little harsh, but many of the faithful believed that Drissa had turned on the club that helped to relaunch his career.
Ipswich kicked off, and almost immediately Little picked up the ball in midfield and passed it diligently to Ian Moore. He raced towards goal, but was fractionally too late to connect - otherwise, Burnley would have been 3-0 up in the forty-eighth minute. Play then catapulted from end to end, culminating in a free kick to Ipswich just outside the Burnley penalty area. Magilton took the kick, but the Burnley defence managed to head it to safety. Some excellent work by Chaplow then put Blake clean through, only to be halted by an offside decision given by the linesman. Burnley then conceded another free kick, in almost the same area as before. Once again, up stepped Magilton, and this time, horror of horrors, the ball ended up in the back of the net. Our hearts sank, but only for a few seconds, as the whistle was blown for offside.
Glen, who was firing on all cylinders, had two long-range shots in quick succession. The first almost cleared the Cricket Field stand, but the next, which was travelling at a fierce pace, narrowly missed the target.
Jensen, who had not been troubled too much during the match, made a good save from Counago, who then proceeded to kick the ball out of the keeper's hands and received a yellow card for his troubles. Blake then stepped up to take a free kick for a foul on Chaplow. The ball was heading out of the Ipswich penalty area, where Chaplow was available. He positioned himself well, and shot accurately. The ball
flew at a tremendous pace, almost piercing the back of the net and giving Kelvin Davis no chance. 3-0 - unbelievable.
Joe Royle replaced Kuqi with Reuser, who appeared to make a positive impact. A penalty appeal was unfairly dismissed by the referee when Little was brought down at the edge of the area. Protests followed, which resulted in Chaplow being booked, probably for dissent.
Shortly afterwards, play continued, and the ball was kicked towards the Burnley penalty area. There seemed to be little danger, and we were astounded to see the referee pointing towards the centre spot. Jensen had succumbed to one of his nightmare saves, and allowed the ball to trickle under his body. 3-1. Even the Ipswich players were surprised. Of course, this seemed to fire them up, and they began to tear into our defence. Frantic efforts at heading and kicking took place in our penalty area. Tony Grant, who has been playing well during the last few months, made several excellent defensive tackles. At this stage of the game it seemed as if all the decisions were going Ipswich's way.
Little, Moore and Blake were competing well, and ran constantly at the Ipswich defence. Weller was then replaced by Bradley Orr, who at first appeared to lack pace, which was understandable, as he had had no first team football apart from two minutes at Wigan. However, he soon made some well-controlled passes, which looked promising.
With approximately ten minutes to go, Magilton took another free kick in a very dangerous area. This time, it was superbly executed and found the right-hand corner of the net. 3-2. Panic set in amongst the home fans. Oh no - we've all been here so many times before!
Play was concentrated in the Burnley penalty area, with Jensen under immense pressure but equal to the task. Three minutes of extra
time was exhibited by the fourth official. Suddenly, in the last minute, Glen passed a spectacular ball to Blake, who burst through the Ipswich defence. He charged towards the goal with only Davis to beat, then swept the ball into the roof of the net. The Turf went wild - 4-2! The three points so desperately required surely belonged to the Clarets. Credit to all the team for a well-deserved victory.
Burnley: Jensen, Roche, May, McGregor, Camara, Little, Grant, Chaplow, Weller (Orr, 75), Blake, Ian Moore.
Subs not used: West, Alan Moore, Chadwick, Rachubka.
Scorers: (Burnley) Little 26, May 28, Chaplow 61, Blake 90 / (Ipswich) Miller 65, Reuser 88.
Referee: M L Dean (Wirral).
Attendance: 12,418.
Joan and Barbara's Man of the Match: Richard Chaplow, without a doubt.
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.
