The London Clarets
The 1991/1992 season
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1991/1992 A season to be cheerful The resurgence of Burnley FC in football began immediately after the never to be forgotten Orient Match in 1987. But in all truth, the comeback didn’t really gather momentum until October 1991, when Frank Casper resigned and his assistant Jimmy Mullen took over. This came at a time when Casper’s management was threatening to destroy the previous four years’ good work. Thankfully Casper resigned on October 3rd 1991 after a miserable start to the season, which had seen the Clarets take just ten points from the first eight league fixtures. His departure was hastened by an abysmal 3-1 defeat at Scarborough. The season had, in fact, begun with high hopes. After all, we had only missed out in the play offs the previous season, so surely the time was right for a concerted promotion push. Burnley appeared for once to be looking ambitious during the close season. Money was spent on players and a lot of dead wood was released. Striker Michael Conroy was brought in from Reading, Steve Harper, a winger, arrived from Preston on a free and a fee of £60,000 secured the services of former loanee Steve Davis from Southampton. Players leaving the club included Ray Deakin, a good servant but now past his best, and Nigel Smith and John Smyth, who had only played a handful of games between them. The season began with a cross-Pennine trip to Rotherham. Burnley lined up for their first game of the season: Pearce, Measham, Jakub, Deary, Pender, Monington, Farrell, Davis, Francis, Conroy, Harper. The game started brightly and it was no surprise when the Clarets took the lead, Mike Conroy stabbing the ball home after a mad scramble on his league debut. After the break Burnley wilted somewhat and eventually the defence cracked, two goals in five second half minutes giving Casper an early season headache. Aldershot provided the first opponents of the season at Turf Moor, and an easy three points in front of almost 6,000 spectators. Immediately after the game Casper entered the transfer market, paying £50,000 to Birmingham City for ‘future star’ Mark Yates, a 21 year-old midfielder. Andy Marriott also arrived, on loan from Nottingham Forest. Both the new signings made their debuts at Doncaster, and Yates scored Burnley’s third in a 4-1 drubbing. Chesterfield then fell to a Roger Eli hat-trick - Burnley’s first since 1985. On September 7th Crewe visited Turf Moor. Burnley, who were lying second, took the lead after ex-Claret Ron Futcher was sent off for dissent. Alex responded, when David Hamilton put the ball past his own keeper, to give Crewe a 1-1 draw. Hamilton’s misery was compounded when he was later sent off for a professional foul. A visit to Hereford brought nothing but misery for the Clarets. David Hamilton was carried off and John Francis sent off for fighting in a 2-0 defeat. Rochdale came to Turf Moor next, with on loan Clarets keeper David Williams in goal. Williams had an absolute stormer as ‘Dale’ ran out 1-0 winners. The scandalous decision to let Williams play in this fixture could only add fuel to the Casper out campaign. Casper’s last stand came at Scarborough, the most abysmal performance of the season. The 3-1 defeat was followed by his resignation. Temporary charge of team matters was given to Jimmy Mullen, and he began his reign with a 2-0 home victory over Carlisle. What followed was a truly amazing transformation of the team. Burnley travelled to Wrexham with a new fighting spirit instilled into them. Wrexham, after going ahead after only two minutes, suddenly found themselves 2-1 down after four, and it was to get worse for the Welsh side. 19 year-old Graham Lancashire completed a hat-trick before half time to send the Clarets 4-2 up, and Burnley added two more after the break as the fixture became our best away performance for just over thirty years. On October 18th Jimmy Mullen was appointed as manager. A home win over Walsall was followed by away victories at Lincoln and Halifax. Halifax ended the game with only nine men, Tommy Graham and Chris Lucketti both being sent off for fouls on Graham Lancashire. The Clarets were now third, and Mullen had made the best start of any Burnley boss in history. York City were the next to fall to the all conquering Clarets, but the biggest test of the season so far was the visit of Mansfield Town. At the time of the fixture ‘The Stags’ had the best away record in the division, but Burnley got a superb start when Mansfield keeper Jason Pearcey tripped Francis in the area and Mike Conroy put away the penalty. Mansfield levelled through Steve Wilkinson only for Burnley to go in front again, but Mansfield again fought back before John Pender’s 83rd minute header snatched the points. A 1-1 draw at home to lowly Doncaster Rovers in the Cup ended our run of eight successive victories. At this stage we made a substantial bid for keeper Marriott, but Forest refused to sell at any price. The Cup replay at Doncaster brought an easy 3-1 victory and a home second round tie with Rotherham. The winning streak continued with a 2-1 victory over Northampton at the County Ground, in what proved to be Andy Marriott’s last game for Burnley. Despite frantic efforts by the club, Forest still insisted he was not for sale. But who could ever forget the scenes of joy when Conroy scored the winner four minutes from time, and at the end as Marriott said goodbye? Magic memories. Jimmy Mullen deservedly won the November Manager of the Month award, and Burnley disposed of Rotherham 2-0 to set up a third round tie with Derby County. Scunthorpe drew at Turf Moor to bring to an end a run of nine league wins in a row, just one short of a record. We then slipped at home to Rotherham, losing 2-1 despite a John Francis goal. But winning ways returned, and Doncaster and Chesterfield were easily beaten. Then Derby County visited Turf Moor. It was a disastrous start for Burnley, Derby leading after just one minute. A Steve Harper header levelled it, but Derby got back in front late in the game, only to see Roger Eli equalise right at the death. The Claret and Blue bandwagon then headed for the seaside... and the wheels fell off, with a 5-2 drubbing and a nightmare match for on loan keeper Mark Kendall. The Derby replay was fogged off. Burnley were 2-0 down when the ref had to abandon the game. Winning ways returned with a 4-1 stroll against Gillingham, Mike Conroy getting a hat-trick. The Derby second replay ended in defeat, and much national media praise for our supporters. The Sun’s John Sadler commented, "It was one of the most amazing shows of support I’ve ever seen." The fighting spirit at Turf Moor was epitomised by the next two away games. At both Walsall and Scunthorpe Burnley trailed 2-0, but grabbed a deserved point in each. Sandwiched in between were home victories over Lincoln and Northampton, the latter by 5-0, with numbers 7-11 all scoring. The return fixture with Blackpool, despite much hype, ended 1-1, although over 18,000 saw the game. Making his debut was Nicky Walker, yet another loan goalkeeper. Next in line was Cardiff City. The Welshmen had gone sixteen games undefeated, and their local press billed the game as the Championship decider. Two late goals by Randall and Conroy and a magnificent performance by the whole team, especially Walker, gave us a 2-0 win. The after-match celebrations were soured somewhat when Cardiff yobs went on the rampage. A dismal performance at Gillingham followed, but home wins over Barnet and Halifax restored confidence in time for the visit to Mansfield. John Francis’ clever backheel set Conroy up for the only goal of a keenly thought game, played in a gale, to send Burnley above Mansfield and into second. High flying Barnet were then held 0-0 at Underhill - their first goaless game of the season. Robbie Painter arrived on transfer deadline day, a fee of £25,000 securing his services from Maidstone. Ironically, he made his debut against ‘The Stones’ two days later, when a late Roger Eli goal ensured a 2-1 win. Crisis club Aldershot were finally wound up and their record expunged. Burnley’s away fixture at Aldershot had ended in a 2-1 win, and this narrow margin of victory meant we returned to the top of the table when the goal differences were re-calculated. A 2-0 win over Hereford, a game which included a stunning curling volley from Conroy, kept the promotion push going. People were really starting to believe now. However, a late free kick gave Crewe a 1-0 win at Gresty Road, and a slipshod performance at home to Scarborough ended in a draw as the promotion jitters set in. Cardiff City then visited Turf Moor, in a game they really needed to win, but a Robbie Painter goal after just sixteen seconds and once each from Farrell and Conroy earned the points, despite Nathan Blake netting for City. Next stop Carlisle, and over 8,000 Clarets made the journey north, hoping to see the victory that would ensure promotion. A classic John Francis goal was cancelled out, and the game ended in a draw, promotion still not certain, the champagne still on ice. Bootham Crescent, York, Tuesday 28th April 1992. A draw would clinch promotion, a win the Championship. York took the lead just before half time through Ian Blackstone. After the break the Clarets’ push for an equaliser was rewarded, when John Deary netted after a mistake by York keeper Kiely. But the best was yet to come. Four minutes into injury time, Mike Conroy broke down the left, hit the goaline and crossed low, and... the rest is history, John Francis getting the goal that clinched the fourth division title. The after-match scenes were unforgettable, the team and manager receiving richly deserved praise, and the part went on long into the night. The trophy was presented before the Wrexham game. Over 21,000 saw Wrexham leave 2-1 winners, but the hard work had already been done. The final nail in the Fourth Division coffin came at Spotland, where we beat Rochdale 3-1 to ruin their play-off aspirations, Robbie Painter scoring our final Division Four goal. The season produced some magnificent football and, for a nice change, we actually expected to win games. Much credit must go to Jimmy Mullen. His motivation of basically the same team as Casper was inspirational, and he fully deserved his Manager of the Year award, for the magnificent was he led his team to a Championship that looked unattainable on a rainy night in Scarborough. Brent Whittam January 1995 |