Field of dreams
Mansfield 0 Burnley 2
Report by Firmo
A win, a clean sheet, and passage to the Fourth Round of the FA Cup, unlike some other Lancashire sides you could mention. Happy New Year!
While this wasn't a good game, it was an enjoyable one, being an old-fashioned blood and thunder Cup tie, with lots of action, a heavy sprinkling of controversy, a cracking atmosphere and freezing cold weather. It was a glimpse of the old lower Division days. As of old, we were the big boys in town, with locals unreasonably keen to beat us, a packed away end in good voice getting behind the team, and predictable hairiness on the walk to the station afterwards. It all made for a rather nostalgic occasion. There was even an advertisement hoarding for muck shifting. Let's hope it was all a one-off, mind - if things don't pick up in the League, we'll have this sort of thing to look forward to every other week next season, and the novelty soon pales.
First good news of the day was that Stan decided to drop West, Branch and - finally! - Camara, opting to pick some defenders instead. Rather like Tony Blair, he's obviously finally found that rusty reverse gear; and can it be coincidence that as he passed the away end en route to the bench, Stan's welcome from the faithful was particularly warm? We lined up with McGregor and May at centre back, Roche at right back and McEveley at left back. This meant that the early part of the game was quite strange, as it took a bit of getting used to having defenders who could defend - and, particularly, full backs who concentrated on holding their position and trying to win challenges. Turns out Camara was the weak link all along. Blimey, who'd have thought it? Roche had the best game I've seen from him, simple but effective, while I was impressed with McEveley. As sod's law would have it, McEveley was to go off in the second half with a nasty injury that turned out to be a dislocated knee, so no sooner did he make an assured start than he's back at his real club. This is a shame for both us and him, and now we need another left back to keep Camara out.
Even Jensen looked solid (in a positive sense) behind them. Having proper defenders must help a little. True, he never had to do anything spectacular, and he made the kind of saves you expect keepers to make and get rather cross about if they don't - but then, he hasn't often managed that. He even showed nifty footwork on occasion when pressured - although surely there's a time and a place for that, the time being never on a Saturday and the place being never in an actual game.
True, we mustn't get carried away about beating a team two Divisions below us, particularly as for most of the match we had more players than them, but it says something for how low morale has sunk that we emerged from Field Mill pleased and relieved. On the train up to Mansfield, and in the generally unimpressive pubs that we visited, I couldn't find one person who thought we were going to win. That includes myself. Such is the current mood amongst Clarets.
Despite that, it quickly became apparent that we were the better side. Naturally you'd expect that, but we've all been in these kinds of situations before and seen us mess up. Remember Cheltenham? You can generally tell in the first few minutes whether we're up for it. We were, and we were the team that looked like scoring.
The only worry was whether we'd finish, as not for the first time several chances came to nothing. Moore seemed off the pace early on - although he was going to come good - and Chadwick continued to show the poor form we have seen in recent games, coincidentally generally when he plays on the left - and he wasn't going to come good. Chadders missed the pick of the early chances, inexplicably placing a shot straight at the goalie when there was rather a lot of empty goal it might have been better to aim at. Ian Moore also missed a breakaway chance, plus we had some corners - but we know by now not to get excited about those, don't we? At the other end, Mansfield had a shout for a penalty that wasn't.
Before we could get too anxious, we were ahead. To be honest, it was down the far end, and although the view wasn't bad at the top of the away end, no-one around me really saw it. All we know is that McEveley stormed forward, put in a decent cross - now, who doesn't that remind you of? - and it was Moore who apparently got his head there where it mattered. I got the impression from his body language that the keeper had made a mistake, but who cares? We were in front, and we deserved to be.
Things got better when Mansfield had Clarke sent off. The ball was swung in from a free kick and Clarke twatted Jensen, putting the large one straight down on the deck, which can't be a terribly easy thing to do. Red card, said ref Prosser, and I agreed with him, although players get away with violent behaviour of that kind more often than not. The players in yellow didn't necessarily share that view, and there were a couple of aftermath bookings as things threatened to get excitingly overheated - one for them and one for May, who presumably knows what it's like to be smacked in the face. Neither did the Mansfield fans share the away end consensus, indulging in typically lower Division behaviour by chanting '1-0 to the referee', which showed a suspect grasp of chronology to say the least.
We all waved off the offender, then started worrying about how badly we always do against ten men. Mansfield even had the ball in the net before half time, although the flag had long been raised. By this stage we were developing suspicions that not all those in the home sections were necessarily regular matchgoers, showing such signs of once-a-season-wonder status as crap chanting and an inadequate grasp of the rules. Only here 'cos of Burnley - and how sad is that?
The half time symposium concluded that it had been a surprisingly enjoyable match, we were easily the better side, and if we lost it, it could only be our fault. But we all knew we needed a second goal - because this is us we're talking about.
Possession was more evenly contested in the early stages of the second half. I thought we let them come at us a bit too much. There was a tip-over from Jensen somewhere in this. Against that, Blake was always looking promising on the break. He saw a lot of the ball and kept trying his luck from longish range, without ever quite getting on target - although he kept getting closer. That's why I like Blake, and why I'll miss him when he's gone - he tries things; sometimes they work out.
Shortly before the hour was up, McEveley's Burnley career ended. It was rotten luck, for him and us. There was no-one near him. He just looked to catch his foot, twisted - and went down as though shot. Cue an immediate stretcher and substitution, and a show of bad grace from the home supporters. It might be considered no more than usually sporting to applaud a seriously injured player of either team as he's carried off in front of you, but because the stretcher-carriers had taken the quickest route, diagonally across the pitch from the halfway line to the far corner tunnel, they offered only indignation and bile. For heaven's sake, an 18-year-old lad had just dislocated his kneecap. Shame on them. It spoke of a lower Division lack of class. Still, what do you expect from the people who broke the miners' strike?
Anyway, get well soon, Jay. Camara came on and played horribly, and then a good run forward from Weller, having an excellent game, was spoilt only by a very late linesman's flag. Weller was terrific, by the way. Many's been the time he looks to have lost his way, but occasionally - and coincidentally, generally when played on the right instead of being expected to battle in midfield - he reminds you of why you all once rated him.
It was at around this point that referee Prosser decided enough people weren't looking at him, and started waving his card about. Particularly for dissent, and particularly for Burnley players. I'm convinced we don't dissent more than the opposition; we just get booked for it more. There was one moment in the first half, for example, when a Mansfield player showed the petulance of a two-year-old when a throw-in was given our way. You just know Little would have been booked for that. Several Mansfield players kept up a running commentary with the referee, and the strikers dived constantly, but we picked up the yellows.
Fortunately, they got a second red first, and it was an utterly indisputable one. Moore broke forward, and, with only the goalkeeper in front of him, their Maltese player, Dimech, wrapped his arms around Moore's waist and pulled him to the ground. Rather unnecessarily, you might think. A clearer professional foul you'll never see, and justice was done from the free kick. Blake took it, keeper Pilkington parried it, and the foulee Moore was there to stick the rebound home.
Time to start thinking of the Fourth Round draw, however ludicrously scheduled, and to dream of something better than Gillingham at home. Two nil and two men up - even we couldn't blow it. Alas, it was soon nine against ten, as Chaplow got his second in a string of Burnley yellows. It was a needless booking, too, for kicking the ball away. He's young and he'll learn - he'll have to learn. Dips in form like the one young Chappers is currently experiencing are to be expected, but self-control has to be acquired, before he develops a reputation as a player easily riled.
Not much happened after that, apart from Alan Moore (yes, you know: Alan Moore... I said Alan Moore) coming on for Chadwick. And let it be said he did nothing wrong. Weller made his one mistake of the day when, in a good position around the edge of the box, he hesitated for an age of dynastic proportions before playing a pass away from the good shooting position he occupied. Cue immediate volley of abuse from the bloke behind me about what a crap player Weller is. The match rather petered out then, and frankly we didn't mind. It had been full of incident, and we could spend the last few minutes discovering how quickly it can get cold in those parts and planning escape routes to the station away from the inevitable hostile clusters of baseball caps lurking outside.
Overall, then, I enjoyed it, which made a change - and we're through! We must not get carried away about beating a team worse than any we will play when points are at stake, but let us at least hope that the win will give a much-needed boost to our shattered confidence. And at the moment, frankly we'll take any win. Now to the League.
Burnley: Jensen, Roche, McGregor, May, McEveley (Camara, 59), Weller, Grant, Chaplow (sent off, 75), Chadwick (Alan Moore, 79), Ian Moore, Blake.
Subs not used: West, Branch, Pilkington.
Scorers: Ian Moore 30, 73.
Referee: P Prosser (Gloucestershire).
Attendance: 8,290.
Firmo's Man of the Match: Paul Weller.
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.
