Love from a Rock
Burnley 1 Preston 1
Report by Russell Abraham
Allow me first of all to explain the bad title and introduce myself. I am Russell, and I make up the London Clarets' Jersey contingent (hence the rock). A much better title for this match report would have been ‘The referee's a w****r’; however, Firmo pointed out to me that he has already used this title, and I wouldn't want my debut into the world of sports journalism to be marred by accusations of copying.
So, having first laid eyes on Burnley players in the flesh some three years ago at Crystal Palace (a game we won 1-0, with the prolific Graham Branch netting for the Clarets), my subsequent record makes for grim reading. Defeats at Sheffield United, Gillingham and Norwich City left me feeling like something of a curse on the team; then again, I was over for the draw at West Ham this season. So, planning my first trip to the Hallowed Turf, I was feeling somewhat confident that we could emerge victorious against Preston.
And now to the part of the match report I feel least confident about writing - the match report! As such an occasional viewer of these players, coupled with Sky Sports' refusal to show decent highlights of Nationwide League games not involving recent Premiership dropouts, I always find that my opinions of players' performances differ from those of you who are there every week and have a better idea of what to expect on the day.
The game started quite brightly, I felt, until Ricardo Fuller outlined his intentions early on by following through unnecessarily on Jensen after just five minutes. Not long after this, the Clarets were denied what looked from the James Hargreaves Stand to be a blatant Preston hand-ball in the area. So, after twelve minutes the referee was already unpopular; but lots of good play from Little and the ever-impressive Chaplow had given me a good feeling about the game.
A defensive error by the Whites allowed Little possession in a dangerous situation on 16 minutes, and for once the final ball was excellent, allowing Robbie Blake to finish clinically from close range. (Yes, I know that it was technically a tap-in, but when you see a Burnley goal as rarely as me, you have to make the most of it.)
So, one - nil to the Clarets; and we continued to exert pressure on the opposition box - although, with the pace in their side, Preston always looked dangerous on the break, and on one occasion Fred West put in a superb saving tackle to prevent Healy going one-on-one with The Beast. This seemed to put some doubt in Claret minds, as Preston began to enjoy more possession over the next ten minutes; however, tight defensive play from May and McGregor prevented any real goal threats from the visitors.
On the half hour mark, Fuller put in another awful tackle, this time on Branch, and many thought he was lucky to escape with a yellow. Soon after this, Cresswell was also cautioned, for upending Little when it looked like Glen had got the better of him.
Burnley enjoyed another good spell at the end of the first half, and I was left wondering whether we would later regret not having carved out a genuine chance to increase the lead before half time. Preston had looked dangerous throughout the first period, and a truly great save from Jensen from a deflected Alexander shot should have been enough warning that one goal wasn't going to win the game.
So, my first half time at Turf Moor, and I duly indulged in a pint and a hotdog, which far outdid the poor excuse for a pie I can remember eating at Carrow Road last year. Delia could learn a thing or two about pies from the chef at the Ministry of Ale. Most of the half time chatter seemed to suggest that regular Clarets had seen this type of performance before, and there was an air of apprehension as to whether we could go on to capitalise on good play and actually win the game.
The second half started in the same way as the first had ended, with lots of Burnley possession and good pressure on Preston's box, but we were guilty of being wasteful in these good areas. In particular, Ian Moore seemed to lose his head when the ball arrived, and too often gave the ball away cheaply, allowing a counterattack. On one such occasion, Di Branchio was booked for a clumsy challenge in a situation where the ball should still have been in Burnley's possession. So, with no Burnley player willing to really take centre stage, up stepped the referee. Firstly, May got booked for a nothing challenge on Healy; then, that man Fuller, who proved himself to be a cheat all afternoon, tumbled into the box - and sure enough the penalty was given. I fail to see why a player with such talent and pace should have to resort to such behaviour, but I suppose players now grow up watching the sort of cheating and cynical tactics which grace not just the Premiership but European top-flight football in general.
Graham Alexander duly converted the spot-kick to leave Burnley players and fans alike feeling both aggrieved and disappointed by the scoreline. To our credit, the response from the team was encouraging, as Blake went close from a free kick and Little had a goalbound header cleared off the line. Blocked shots and goalmouth scrambles ensued, but we just weren't creating genuine scoring opportunities, despite good possession.
The referee obviously wasn't satisfied that he'd done enough to guarantee a few weeks' holiday, so, on 70 minutes, he booked Michael Keane for a lunge on Little - and Dean West for absolutely no reason at all! Both teams were looking less and less likely to take anything more than a point from the game, with many Burnley moves fizzling out due to a lack of accuracy in the final third, and, other than some individual runs from Fuller, Preston were never going to break down our defence.
With five minutes remaining, Fuller appeared to strike Fred West, but the referee seemed to be suffering from delayed reactions. He took no action at the time, but then, in stoppage time, he showed Fuller his deserved red card; although I couldn't see what Fuller was doing at that particular moment to deserve it.
So, the game ended, and we were left with a thoroughly bad taste in our mouths. While the majority of the talk afterwards revolved around a certain Mr Pugh, I was left feeling that we really should have capitalised more on the possession we had - and unless we can start winning games which we dominate, there could still be trouble for our threadbare squad yet.
I apologise if any of the factual information is incorrect: my scribbled notes are virtually illegible, and my memory of the game slightly hazed by the large quantity of ale subsequently guzzled on the way back to Leeds. I am grateful to Pauline Pratley for letting me write this report, and also to Dermot Slattery for introducing me to Burnley in the first place. I am doing my best as an overseas missionary to convert the Man Utd-supporting population of Jersey into real football fans - someone should tell Stan to bring the lads over here pre-season, instead of going to that other boring little Island, because mine is sunnier.
Burnley: Jensen, Branch (Alan Moore, 79), May, West, Camara, Grant, Chaplow, McGregor, Little, Blake, Ian Moore.
Subs not used: Scott, Abbey, Townsend, Pugh.
Scorers: (Burnley) Blake 19 / (Preston) Alexander 58 (pen).
Referee: D Pugh (Wirral) - he should definitely go back there for good.
Attendance: 15,837.
Russell's Man of the Match: Robbie Blake.
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.
