Penalty pain
Watford
1 Burnley 1
Report by John Pepper
And
so to Vicarage Road, with a score to settle
after three defeats to this mob last season,
including the heartbreaking FA Cup quarter
final capitulation and the humiliating 7-4
reverse at the Turf which took place 'after
our season had ended' according to Stan.
Having been nobbled during the mandatory
pre-match imbibing at 'that funny little
pub on the corner' to do the match report,
I was completely unprepared for the task.
Much of what follows is therefore somewhat
impressionistic.
The
main talking point of a largely undistinguished
first half came following the award of a
slightly dubious free kick to the Clarets
just outside the Watford area. Blake hammered
the ball towards goal, and when a defender
charged the ball down with his arms, the
ref immediately awarded a penalty. Blake
stepped up confidently and struck the ball
wide of the keeper and, unfortunately, also
wide of his right-hand post, for his third
spot-kick miss of the season.
As
the game drifted apparently uneventfully
towards half time, I found my attention diverted
by the arrival - ahead of schedule - of that
most prized of culinary delights, a balti
pie. At this point I'm afraid I forgot the
cardinal rule of match reporting: keep your
eyes on the game. My brief reverie was rudely
interrupted by a huge cheer from the home
supporters as Watford went in front on the
very stroke of half-time. Since I didn't
actually see the goal I can't tell you anything
about it, though it was apparently headed
in by Scott 'Great Gatsby' Fitzgerald.
Thankfully,
Burnley began the second half in a positive
frame of mind and after 54 minutes Chadwick
bagged the equaliser with a shot from the
right hand side of the box, which appeared
to strike the keeper on its way in.
Things
subsequently got a little tetchy during a
spat between May and Vernazza which led to
a booking for each of them after some big
girl's blouse-type pushing and shoving involving
a number of players from both sides. About
five minutes after this episode, ref Mr Hall
showed no hesitation in issuing a second
yellow to Vernazza for his lunge on May,
which left the former Blackburn/Global Empire
of Evil man prostrate.
By
this time I was feeling relatively calm thanks
to a) Chaddy's equaliser, and b) our opponents
being a man down. On reflection, this may
also have had something to do with c) passive
inhalation of a cloud of pungent sweet-smelling
smoke wafting in my direction from a few
seats away.
Anyway,
as the game ground on it rapidly became apparent
that the referee had decided that he was
going to be the centre of attention. He completely
lost his head and started waving cards at
all and sundry with the effect that players
became inhibited and reluctant to make even
straightforward challenges for the ball for
fear of being booked or worse.
May
was substituted (di Branchio), we thought
at the time to prevent him receiving a second
yellow card, though it subsequently turned
out he was injured, and Chaplow replaced
the injured Farrelly for the last twenty
minutes or so.
We
very nearly nicked it in the dying seconds,
as Chadwick struck a shot against the post
during time added on.
Who
played well
Weller
had a tidy game in the centre of midfield,
whilst the twinkle-toed Chadwick represented
our most potent threat attacking-wise. Ian
Moore also deserves a mention for a whole-hearted
performance characterised by some lung-bursting
surges into the box. Blake was relatively
subdued by his own recent standards of excellence,
though he still managed to hit some sweet
cross-field balls to switch the play during
the second half. Farrelly showed his by now
usual calm assurance and good ball distribution.
May and West did their best to keep the ball
away from Jensen whenever possible, which
was just as well, given the Beastly one's
'Copenhagen street juggler' impression. Fred
also managed to make some of his usual forays
upfield to support the attack.
Points
to prove
Jensen
- continues to treat the ball like a bar
of soap and for such a big man faffs at the
ball like a transvestite trying to swat a
wasp (or possibly a hornet) when coming out
to 'deal with' incoming balls into the box.
Will cost us points this season.
Mo
Camara - should beware of becoming a cult
figure since 'cult' is sometimes merely a
euphemism for 'crap', as in cult films. To
be fair he was less exposed than in some
other games, possibly due to the home side's
ineffectiveness during the second half.
Facey
- tries hard but is too similar a type of
player to Ian Moore, though clearly not as
good. Might well flourish elsewhere, possibly
at Leigh RMI.
Todd
- is definitely up to scratch at this level
but should stick to keeping it simple and
thereby avoid giving the ball away so much.
He's on his way back to Rovers, I understand,
so we'll likely see di Branchio re-instated
alongside May (suspension permitting) or
that well-known stand-by, AN Other.
Overall
verdict
Two
points squandered for the second time in
four days. Stan has said he was happy with
a point but we never put them under enough
pressure after the sending-off to make our
numerical advantage count. An inability to
finish teams off is beginning to cost us
and with David May heading for suspension,
Todd on his way back to Ewood Park and our
next three away matches at Ipswich, West
Ham and Sheffield United, this is a luxury
we can ill afford.
JP's
top man
Paul
Weller, oddly enough.
Pie-ometer
8
out of 10 for a splendid and very timely
balti, courtesy of that excellent gentleman
Mr Steve Wray.
And
finally
A
special mention for our much-maligned railway
services for getting me back to Putney just
in time to catch last orders - a most unexpected
bonus.
Team: Jensen,
West, Todd, May (Branch, 77), Camara, Ian
Moore, Farrelly (Chaplow, 71), Weller,
Chadwick, Blake, Facey.
Subs
not used: Roche, O'Neill.
Scorers: (Watford)
Fitzgerald 45 / (Burnley) Chadwick 54.
Referee: A
R Hall (Birmingham).
Attendance: 11,573.
John'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."
