Bring on the Bastards!
1999-2000 - Cozzo's Season
Tuesday 9th May. Exactly three weeks
ago I decided at the last minute to go to the home game against Gillingham. We could have
gone second and put our destiny in our own hands. Instead we lost, and with a big game
against Millwall on the Saturday we were suddenly in a scrap to make the play-offs with
Stoke coming up fast on the rails.
Here I am, three weeks later on the same train heading for the
Supporters Clubs' Presentation night. Again it was a last minute decision because now it's
turned into a promotion party. We can't give our trophy because not all the votes are in.
After all, the season might not have finished, as we all expected to be preparing for the
play-offs now. But we did it. Against all the odds and from 10 points behind Bristol
Rovers towards the end of March, we made it. The contrast in fortunes is astonishing as we
finished 8 points clear of Rovers, and our commiserations go our friends in the Gas who
failed to even make the play-offs.
Our season as a whole now looks like a perfectly timed long
distance race in which, after sitting behind the pace-setters for long periods (mainly in
5th) we had enough left for a fantastic sprint finish. Gillingham drew one and lost one of
their last 8 games, but such was our run, only one defeat, that we passed them in the last
stride. Not even time for a Steve Ovett type wave. (Alright we didn't win the race,
Preston did, but we got the prize we wanted.)
All along the man who had the right words at the right time was
Stan, not overly excited when we won and rarely dejected when we lost. It wasalways just
'one more game' and 'we'll be there in the shake-up at the end of the season'. His
selections and his tactics have often baffled us and some players and substitutions were
booed, but how many times did we win or draw games when we looked like losing? And how
many times did we lose games near the end when we looked like winning? Answers: Lots
(Oxford x 2, Notts County, Gillingham, Stoke, Bury etc.) and none. Not once did we lose a
game we were winning. More often than not, Stan was right and at the end of the season he
can point to the fact that since 3 points for a win no Burnley team has managed as many
points.
As for his players; Crichton
was considered by many not to be good enough. He has been consistency personified and
against Millwall and Brentford towards the end of the season put in match winning
performances.
West and Armstrong
have not won over their critics but I believe both have done solid, if unspectacular jobs,
although West has been prone to the odd error.
Branch and Mellon in a London Clarets straw poll a few months ago
gained most votes in the 'Least favourite player' category. Not so sure they would now as
both have won over the majority of the crowd with a number of good performances. Branch
has adapted well to playing in a number of positions and you wonder why Mellon waited
until the last ten games of the season to show his true ability.
Of our close season signings most eyebrows were raised at Mitchell Thomas. Surely he was only there as cover? Now a leading
candidate for our Player of the Season due to a host of great performances and also the
man mainly responsible for the arrival of Wrighty. It looks like Stan's most astute piece
of business.
Johnrose always had his
admirers in the crowd for his whole-hearted performances and lunging tackles but his all
round game has improved tremendously in the last few games as his confidence has grown. As
for Jeppo, our substitute goalie, his cameo
performances have ranged from laughably bad to brilliant but he has gone on many times and
helped us shut up shop. A man who never hides when the going gets tough and someone you
always want on your side.
Cook, after a superb finish to
the previous season, has on occasions been disappointing this season as his form has been
up and down. He has however won us several games and in the final game last Saturday was
calm and assured throughout even after moving to left back.
Until recently John Mullin could
have been described as flattering to deceive. Looks the part on occasions but not enough
end product. As the wins kept coming his performances picked up significantly and two
great goals at Brentford were just reward. Probably played more games than in any previous
season so he is still learning, but now that he has shown what he can do, we want more!
Little's season could be
described as a struggle; left out early on due to loss of form, then played for long
spells on the left or at wing back before his sending off at Cardiff cost us dear in the
Gillingham match. Yet in amongst all that he has been at his enigmatic best, producing
some breathtaking runs and two of the best goals of the season against Bristol Rovers and
Scunthorpe. So, not bad for a player who whilst not being at his absolute best still
managed to be voted into the 2nd Division PFA team.
Cookey has battled hard for us
all season and no higher praise can be given than the fact that Andy Payton always wants
him playing up front with him. Doesn't always get the best of the refereeing decisions but
has managed to calm his temper a little, and after showing what he can do against Derby
has every chance of being a success in the 1st Division.
Andy Payton, top scorer and
best striker in the 2nd Division. Nothing more to say really except it was a travesty that
he didn't make it into the PFA team. I can only blame it on the fact that the team was
chosen too early in the season, which would make it strange as to why Davis was included. Not that he played badly in the first
half of the season, it's just that it wasn't the Steve Davis we knew he could be, as he
was eclipsed by Thomas's awesome performances. After the arrival of Cox, Davis was
re-vitalised and from then on has been absolutely superb and the barometer of this is the
fact that he started scoring again. Over the season, well worth his place in the PFA team.
The timings of Stan's signings have also been spot on; Wright just before Payton's ban and Cox
just in time for the run-in. Both have had a major say in the last few games and, for
differing reasons, I hope they are both there at the start of next season. How many 2nd
Division managers could have kept Wright happy with a place on the bench? And how many
would have had the bottle to do it? Sod Alex Ferguson and Steve Coppell, Stan is the
manager of the season for me since it's only 15 months ago that we suffered those
back-to-back home defeats of 5-0 and 6-0 to Gillingham and Man City. In saying that, hats
off to the Chairman Barry Kilby for sticking with Stan when many others, including myself,
thought he wasn't the right man. He IS the right man and it's not over yet!
As for my own views of the season, the lows were thankfully few,
but the defeats to Scunthorpe on Sky and also at home to Luton so soon after the Preston
loss were pretty poor. The highs started on day one with a draw at Wycombe (where we
always lose) and ended on the pitch at Scunthorpe as the Gillingham result finally came
in. Actually it didn't end there but the trip back is a blur of singing and drinking.
In between, notable events were Little's goal against Bristol
Rovers, which is probably the best individual goal I've seen at the Turf; falling over in
the street at Oxford (I won't go into it as it's a long story) and of course those two
late goals; Benny dropping his wallet at Euston; the landlord of the Black Lion/Hole in
the Wall in Yddol just outside Wrexham who offered us a lift to the next pub after the cab
didn't turn up; the win at Derby with all the santas and the trip to Coventry; turning up
at Reading with face masks on, only to find it didn't stink anymore; the trip to Cardiff
and the escort back to the station (scary!); the home game against Millwall, probably the
most exciting game of the season; Wrighty's first goal when he equalised against
Gillingham and his stunning winner against Notts County; the APFSCIL dinner with Barry and
Sonia Kilby and especially the fact that Firmo gets to wear that coat. But to show what
last season means, I would say seeing Benny, a man who has seen Burnley play in Europe,
standing in The Honest Lawyer in Scunthorpe with tears in his eyes because we had been
promoted.
It was a great season, all the more so because I saw far more games
than in any other season as I wasn't playing football on Saturdays. In fact it was a
fantastic season as it has put Burnley back on the map, but as Stan said straight after
the game, "The work starts here." Thank you for last season, but now we must
look to next season and further success.
Ten great things about being in the 1st
Division
1 We get to play the Bastards.
2 We get to see Firmo in that coat.
3 We don't have to sell anyone.
4 Our own pages on Sky Teletext.
5 Now that we exist we get more media coverage of a less
patronising nature.
6 My shares look like a good investment.
7 No more Auto Windscreens Shield.
8 No more Gloomfield Road.
9 We don't care about the FA Cup until the 3rd Round.
10 We get to play the Bastards again.
Steve Corrigan
May 2000
Links - Season reviews from Firmo, Hego,
Tim Quelch, Phil Whalley and Igor Wowk
