Brentford was a big disappointment. Not just
because the game was lost in the final minute. It was because I had hoped to see more
signs of progress. In fairness, there were some. Burnley must have had two thirds of
possession before Howey's dismissal in the 75th minute. heir approach work was generally
good with Waddle playing a prominent part on the right flank. They even managed a goal,
with Ford restoring parity after Burnley's limp defence had gifted the home side a soft,
early opener. But Brentford consistently carved out the better opportunities, using fast,
direct counter attacks. Had the Bees' finishing been better, this could easily have been a
drubbing. It had some similarities with that game at Manor Ground in 1996, in which
Burnley pressed forward for most of the second half, only for Oxford to hit them four
times on the break.
I suspect that Burnley will need to score at least twice away from
home, if they're going to achieve a result. Their defence is too easily breached at
present. Vinnicombe isn't a resolute defender. Like Eyres, he is comfortable going forward
but he is too easily brushed aside. Brass seems out of position at right back. Ironically
this was his former position, but he became so accomplished in that centre back / sweeper
berth. Reversion seems difficult for him. I thought that Huxford might be a better
selection as right back. Howey was dominant in the air and threatened to score when he
came up for the corners. On the ground, he was often ill at ease. He was easily outpaced
and needed cover. Unsurprisingly, he was dismissed for pulling down a Brentford forward,
who had found him short of reinforcements and promptly sprinted past him. But once Howey
had departed, Burnley fell apart.
Nevertheless, how closely did Waddle compare the merits of Swan and
Howey? I still maintain that we're £150,000 down on those deals. Moore was our best
defender. This lad could be our find of the season. He looked composed and skilful and
with better defenders around him, might graduate into a footballing centre back.
Harrison was employed in midfield with Ford. They should have given
the defence better cover and yet somehow they didn't. Harrison worked hard enough, but he
is not particularly quick. Brentford had a number of players of high pace. They didn't
have much else. But this was sufficient to nail Burnley, who were often caught back on
their heels. Like a number of other disgruntled supporters, I thought that if we couldn't
beat Brentford, who could we beat? It wasn't to be my favourite Saturday night.
As it turned out, Brentford (away) was something of a nadir. In the
month which followed, results steadily improved. So, it was with greater hope (rather than
expectancy) that we went to Luton on November 4th. Luton, too, had managed a revival and
appeared to be pulling away from the relegation zone. They had recently re-signed Phil
Gray, the Northern Ireland international and seemed to have a strong squad (Davis, Thorpe,
Oldfield etc), despite their lowly position. Certainly, their performance at Turf Moor
last Easter (0-2), was one of the best I've seen from an away side. Many members of that
team were still at Kenilworth Road.
It was a damp, misty evening, reminding me a bit of 'The Exorcist'.
I almost expected to see Max Von Sydow queuing up. The game began at a frenetic pace. It
all seemed too quick for the Burnley lads, with the ball pinging around them. For the
first fifteen minutes, they weren't able to string any passes together and all forward
probes resulted in offside decisions. On the other hand, Luton exerted considerable
pressure. Helped by a badly misplaced pass from Gordon Cowans, Oldfield was set up with a
close range opportunity. Thankfully, Marlon was at his very best in blocking a fierce
drive. His agility was given an even greater test shortly afterwards, as he clawed away a
deflected effort from just under the bar.
Having survived this early assault by the skin of their teeth,
Burnley began to make progress along the flanks, notably on the left, where Vinnicombe and
Weller established a more effective link. But despite establishing more of an equilibrium,
Burnley were not really threatening the Luton goal. So it came as a surprise when, in the
25th minute, Williams jinked past an uncertain home defender and prodded a shot just
inside the right hand post. The lead only lasted seven minutes. Luton were awarded a
free-kick just outside and to the left of the Burnley box. It looked a harsh decision,
with the Luton forward equally responsible for the awkward challenge. But Luton took full
advantage. Having dummied the Burnley wall, the ball was transferred sideways to
Alexander, who steamed in, unmarked, from a central position and thundered a twenty five
yard drive into the top left corner of the net. It was a badly defended, but a beautifully
executed goal. However, their second, which followed three minutes later, was a joke.
Another 50/50 challenge, involving Brass, resulted in a further Luton free-kick, in a
similar position to the previous one. This time Alexander took the kick. Seeing that
Marlon had moved too near to the right hand post, with no defender on the left, Alexander
simply chipped the ball into the unguarded part of the goal. No, we weren't singing
anymore.
It was a miserable half-time break. Carlisle and Plymouth were both
leading. The bottom beckoned once again.
Sometimes, games change character when you least expect it. This one
certainly did. At the beginning of the second half, it was business as usual. Luton seemed
certain to add to their lead. Again, some desperate defending denied them. But then
Burnley began to take control. Luton's offside trap had served them well before the
interval, but not so afterwards. Having abandoned their patient build-up, Burnley's
midfield pushed up and began to loft the ball into spaces behind the Luton back four. It
was a critical shift in tactics, for which the management team deserve much credit.
Immediately, it became evident that the Luton defenders were slow on the turn,
particularly on the left side of their defence, and Weller and Barnes began to wriggle
free with startling regularity.
The equaliser came in the 62nd minute. Waddle's corner found Howey
at the far post and his powerful header across goal was flicked in by Creaney. Within
minutes we were ahead. Barnes again breached Luton's crumbling offside trap. He bore in
from the right, transferred the ball to his left foot and, from an acute angle, smashed it
past the keeper's upstretched gloves and into the roof of the net. We were then treated to
his curious Regency-type curtsey, while he reminded us just how much his tally now added
up to.
Quite surprisingly, Burnley held out with relative comfort. Only a
drive from Oldfield severely discomforted them. This, thankfully, clipped the top of the
bar.
As Adrian Heath said, we're still a long way from being the finished
article, but there are important signs of progress. There was more determination and bite
in this display and the attack now looks like scoring. It needs to, because I still
maintain that we need two goals each game to secure a result.
