In the close season, John Major led the
Tories to another electoral victory. It stunned Neil Kinnock. But it stunned the pollsters
just as much. They had given Labour a 4-7% lead up to polling day. Kinnock’s slick
campaign seemed to have gone well. He had avoided making gaffes and cut a more credible
presidential figure than the lack-lustre Major. While Major hollered at us in the pouring
rain, amplified by the lowest-tech equipment seen since Lloyd George, Kinnock was cruising
around in swish limousines. Even Paddy Ashdown had his helicopters. But it wasn’t to
be Kinnock’s day. The battalions of ‘shy Tories’ shot him down. Labour
hadn’t rid themselves of their tax and spend reputation, despite an ultra-cautious
manifesto, which gave the Tories little to hit.
Major’s start was disastrous. The new season was barely
underway when we were hit by the ERM fiasco. Some Tories saw the ERM as the worst of both
worlds; it was European and it offended free market principles. It had an impressive
casualty list, too; Thatcher, Howe and Lawson had all been chewed up over it. But this
didn’t threaten Chancellor Norman Lamont. He actually took us in. As a result he
became its next victim, after blowing £15 billion in a forlorn attempt to prop up the
plummeting pound. John Major put an end to the nonsense, but not before Lamont had hacked
off German Chancellor Kohl by blaming Bonn’s economic policies. Lamont was holed
below the waterline and was listing badly but it took his decision to place VAT on
domestic fuel to finish him off. Not that he went quietly. He had been Major’s
campaign manager during the Tory leadership election and thought that the ‘grey
one’ owed him. It was a decidedly huffy figure who took his place on the backbenches
in May.
The Queen was pretty fed up, too. 1992 was her ‘annus
horribilis’. There was the fire at Windsor Castle, there was the separation of Andy
and Fergy, and there was Anne’s divorce as well as the growing rift between Charles
and Di. And just to cap it all, there were the topless photos of Fergy.
On the other hand this year wasn’t too bad for Burnley. No one
expected fireworks. We were prepared to settle for a period of quiet consolidation and
that’s what we got. Despite pre-season success in winning the Marsden Lancashire Cup,
Jimmy knew that the squad needed strengthening. Left back Les Thompson was signed from
defunct Maidstone, Northern Ireland international winger Steve Penney was signed from
Hearts and striker John Clayton was enticed away from Dutch football. However, we lost
John Francis, who transferred to First Division Cambridge for £135,000. Steve Penney
scored the winner in Burnley’s opening game against Swansea (1-0), but thereafter
injury severely curtailed his appearances. Burnley were decidedly fortunate to beat
Swansea, and their flaws were promptly and mercilessly exposed at Carlisle in the Coca
Cola Cup (1-4), who proceeded to eliminate the Clarets with the minimum of fuss.
Jimmy Mullen knew then that further signings were necessary,
particularly given the injuries to Eli and Conroy and the lack of a first line goalkeeper.
This prompted him into making two of Burnley’s most important signings. Adrian Heath
made his debut at Stockport (1-2) and Marlon Beresford made his a week later at home to
Rotherham (1-1), giving a sensational performance.
For several weeks, Burnley struggled. A lamentable performance at
Chester resulted in a 0-3 defeat. This was followed by another defeat by Preston (0-2)
which dumped Burnley into 21st position. Only a 90th minute header
by makeshift centre forward Mark Monington then deprived Port Vale of a deserved three
points at Turf Moor (1-1). Mark repeated the act in the following home game. This time it
was enough to give the Clarets a much-needed victory against Mansfield (1-0), who were a
pale shadow of the 1991/92 side. It proved to be a turning point.
Although it took another very late goal, this time from John Deary,
to secure Burnley’s first away point at Wigan (1-1), this was a much more convincing
performance. After a 0-0 home draw with Wigan, Ossie Ardiles’ table-topping West
Bromwich came to Turf Moor on Saturday October 3rd.
By October, Snap’s Rhythm Is A Dancer had finally given
way to Tasmin Archer’s Sleeping Satellite at the top of the charts. Racist
violence was disfiguring Germany’s ‘Day of Unity’, a stark warning was to
be given shortly about the state of the rain forests and an El Al 747 was just about to
plough into some Amsterdam high-rise flats. Meanwhile, independent US Presidential
candidate Ross Perot was proving that a little could go a long way. Burnley took this to
heart as they prepared to meet their formidable opponents. It turned out to be quite a day
for Cornish Claret Jon Davies and his eldest
son:
‘Saturday morning, 5.15am. The alarm sounds! In the darkness I
find my clothes, wake my eldest son and by 6.00am we are outside chatting quietly to our
next door neighbour. We are soon on the road heading out of Cornwall. Two Claret fans and
one Baggies fan en route to Turf Moor. Crossing the River Tamar at 7.15, I wondered what
the day would hold. The Clarets were struggling to find form this season, hampered by a
string of injuries, whilst the Baggies were riding high at the top of the Division. A
victory for the Clarets would be a great boost for the team and supporters alike, whereas
a defeat could mean a long winter ahead. Perhaps a draw would be the best result. At least
we would all be talking on the way home!
After sharing the driving, we arrived in Burnley and by 2.15 we
were soaking up the atmosphere of the Longside and trying to spot our neighbour in the
away section. A good crowd, a super pitch and even a hint of blue sky beckoned the players
and officials. It was our first match of the season, and my son and I were eager to view
our new keeper and check on the return of Davis and Conroy.
What a start we had, with a stunning long-range goal from Harper
within a minute! The rest of the half, however, belonged to the league leaders who were
very quick in thought and action. We laboured at times, players returning from injury
lacked their usual incisiveness, whilst others often committed themselves far too soon and
were left on the ground. Nevertheless, the crowd lifted the team and some fine saves from
Beresford plus some nice touches from Randall and Farrell allowed the score to remain 1-0
at half time.
The interval chat focused on the quality and potential of our new
keeper plus the fact that Conroy needed a goal. We did not have long to wait for Conroy to
oblige, thanks to some hard work and quick thinking by Adrian Heath. For the next ten
minutes or so it was the best of Burnley from last season: fluent passes and an eagerness
not only to play, but also to play well. Only another goal was missing. Then disaster
struck. The Baggies broke; the ball was loose in the area, then with Measham, then with
Beresford. Was it a back pass? Was it intentional? Beresford did hesitate before picking
it up and that was all the referee – not ideally placed – needed to award a free
kick well inside the penalty area. To my mind such a position cannot be defended: players
on the goal line, keeper in front of them, but all are powerless to stop the ball being
played back to the opposing forward who shoots high and hard into the top corner. This was
exactly what Garner did (It had to be him, didn’t it?), much to his delight and the
Longside’s disgust.
The game turned around but somehow the storm was weathered with
some notable stops from Beresford, ably supported by Davis and Pender. Only in the last
five minutes did the Clarets dominate, playing neat possession football in their
opponents’ half. The final whistle blew and Beresford took the applause of the
Longside as Garner trooped off to the sound of ‘Garner, Garner what’s the
score?’ A splendid day.
All that remained was to meet our neighbour and return home.
‘The result was more impressive than the performance,’ was how I started the
conversation, really wanting to sing, ‘Champions’ all the way home. Diplomacy
got the better of me and to my neighbour’s credit he was not too downhearted as the
Baggies were still top. The match and the atmosphere were excellent, and he was very
impressed by his first visit to the Turf. However, diplomacy is not in the vocabulary of
an eleven-year-old and my son was still talking about how good Beresford was and how we
would climb the table when the team was fully fit when I shut his bedroom door just after
midnight. I had to agree with him. When the side becomes settled and the goals start to
come, then the confidence will return along with the points. Beresford looked a super
prospect, but for me Farrell and Randall impressed the most, Farrell reading the game very
well and Randall looking first rate coming forward.’
There were other highlights, like the 5-2 win over Fulham (we were
4-1 up at half time) and the hat trick of victories in February, which put Burnley into
seventh place and a chance of contesting in the play offs. However, there were too many
low lights for promotion to be a real possibility. Bolton made mincemeat of us in both
games (0-4, 0-1), as did Brighton (0-3, 1-3). West Bromwich underlined the gulf in class
between the sides in the return game at the Hawthorns (0-2) and Fulham pulverised us at
Craven Cottage after Measham was dismissed (0-4). But it was probably the limp defeat at
Reading (0-1), which finally convinced us that the First Division was a Division too far.
Nevertheless, the FA Cup run had its glorious moments. John
Bond’s Shrewsbury were overcome by ten Clarets in a replay, thanks to two goals in
the last three minutes from Pender and Conroy (2-1). But a bigger coup looked likely when
Heath put us 2-0 up at Bramall Lane against Premier League side Sheffield United.
Unfortunately, the Blades pulled two goals back in the final nine minutes (2-2). And
despite Heath giving Burnley the lead in the replay, Brian Deane scored a first half hat
trick to put the tie out of reach. Adrian Littlejohn extended the Clarets’ deficit on
the hour, leaving Mark Monington just to restore a semblance of respectability (2-4).
Jimmy Mullen used twenty-eight players over the season, mostly
because of the persistent problem with injuries. Some just had bit parts like Steve Penney
and John Clayton, neither of whom responded to treatment. Then there were the loan
signings, of which Brian Mooney was probably the best. There were the other permanent
signings, of which Nick Pickering was definitely the worst. Here’s what a nameless
London Claret thought of the class of ‘92/93:
‘John Deary. This is the man who should be captain in my view.
He never stops encouraging the team. He can be a little hot-headed at times but he has
calmed down a hell of a lot.
Adrian Heath. Pure class. He’s far too classy for the Second
Division. Can you believe that no one else came in for him? He’s the second best
signing this season behind Beresford. He doesn’t score goals quite as regularly as he
should (he did score 23 league and cup goals!) but makes more than his fair share for
others. He’s doomed never to be awarded a penalty by the blind referees’ guild.
Mike Conroy. A player doesn’t become bad in one season, so lay
off him all you Jock knockers! He is a classy player with a lethal left foot, who has been
very unlucky this season. He spends far too much time out on the wings and with his back
to goal. Will Jimmy realise that you don’t score thirty goals a season playing out
wide or deep?
Steve Harper. I called him habitually ineffective. I was wrong. He
has been quite good this season and has improved no end from the winger of last season. A
perfect example of what a little bit of confidence and a haircut can do.
Mark Monington. To the idiots who sat behind me at Reading, you
were a disgrace to slag off a player who gives one hundred per cent each and every time he
pulls on a Claret and Blue jersey. Every player has a bad game now and again. Mono is a
last twenty minutes striker, not a full game striker.
Adrian Randall. What does the great and mystical Adie Randall have
to do to get a run in the side? How can Painter, Jakub and Farrell be picked ahead of him?
We’ve all heard the rumours of his drinking, but even then, he’s our most
skilful player by miles. He should be an automatic choice and would be in any other team.
Let’s give him a chance.
Joe Jakub. He was picked ahead of Randall at Reading, an
unbelievable decision. Joe did very well for us last season, but this season the magic
dust has worn off. He is getting skinned by wingers who are literally half his age.
Marlon Beresford. The best keeper outside the Premier League, if
not the best. He has saved us from numerous defeats and also from even worse
hammerings than we have had. He’s an inspired signing. How long can we keep him?
Ian Measham. ‘Meash’ has been his usual steady self this
season. He’s a solid tackler and will run his heart out for the Clarets. His
attacking runs should increase with the re-signing of John Francis (who returned from
Cambridge just before the transfer deadline).
Paul Wilson. Definitely a Jekyll and Hyde character. When he’s
on song he’s very good, but when he’s not… Over-priced at £90,000?
Steve Davis. What has happened to Davis this season? The reliable,
skilful defender of last season has become scared of taking his man on and has been
cautioned far too often for rash challenges.
John Pender. More dangerous in his own penalty area at set pieces
than in the opposition's (becoming known as ‘Penderog’ in one Burnley fanzine).
Would not have been my choice as captain; a good Fourth Division player, but not so good
in the Second.
Andy Farrell. One minute he’s sending a 25-yard volley
crashing into the corner of the net, the next he’s falling over a ball passed to him
a yard away. A committed player, who will give his all for Burnley, but how long can he
keep Randall out?
Robbie Painter. Has been exposed at the higher level, but given a
bit of confidence, he could still come good.
Jimmy Mullen. Well, the boss said that the Championship winning
squad deserved a chance at the higher level. Well, they’ve had it, so now
there’s no excuse for some strange selections: Jakub instead of Randall at Reading,
Pickering for Randall at Orient. I’ve got a lot of time for Sir Jimmy of Mullen, but
the buck stops with him next season. But all you impatient persons who are shouting
‘Mullen Out’ may just have your words rammed back down your throat next season
as I predict that Burnley will be Champions of Division 2 in 1993/94. A little confidence
in the main man please!'
One significant Claret missing from this end-of-term report was
Roger Eli. Persistent knee injuries had restricted him to playing just two full league
games in 1992/93. He wouldn’t represent Burnley again, but he will always be
remembered at Turf Moor.
