August 7th and everything
before
High Wycombe 1 Burnley 1, 7 August
1999
Tim Quelch
It started as a murky day of fine, leaking rain. But around lunchtime there was a
sudden shift. As we approached the ground, a vigorous sun had found space between the
voluminous clouds, applying a clammy clamping heat to the afternoon. Just stepping out of
the car caused me to pulse with sweat. This was a bad day to be playing Wycombe; a team
that always presses and harasses relentlessly. There again, every day is a bad day to be
playing Wycombe. If Burnley’s distant past means too much and their more recent past
too little, you could be fooled. For here we seem to have a Subbuteo stadium, as Barbara
rightly dubbed it: a ground of limited horizons, protected on three sides by the wooded
Chiltern downs. Outside, wheat, ripe and proud, awaits the impending harvest. But we
veterans are not fooled. The rural idyll is spurious. An industrial estate adjoins. And on
that industrial estate is an outlet for genetically modified agriculture. Much, much
worse, every trip here has been both pointless and humiliating. In what appears to be a
make or break season, we wondered - no, prayed - we could do a little better this time.
Stan went for a 4-5-1 formation, with Cooke as the target man and Mullin helping out
where he could. Branch and Little were our wide men, with Smith and West as overlapping
full backs. That, at least was the theory. The reality proved to be something else. For
after a very quiet opening fifteen minutes, in which Burnley looked composed but
unthreatening, Wycombe began to get a grip. Crichton saved well from Devine, pushing his
snap shot around the post, but was fortunate when the ex-Barnet striker fired wide
following an excellent, low left wing cross. At this point, Wycombe were pushing forward
with power, skill and conviction. Steve Brown was simply outstanding for them. Whenever
Burnley gained possession, they could do little with it. There was plenty of effort but no
co-ordination or strength. Mellon and Mullin were anonymous. Cooke was working his socks
off up front, trying to hold the ball up but he was getting little service and even less
support. As for Little, he was just a spectator for long stretches. However, he was the
only Burnley player to attempt a shot on goal in the first forty minutes. In fact, he had
two efforts. The first was a powderpuff left-footer, which Taylor claimed easily. The
second had a bit more venom, but was well wide on the left post. Branch managed a couple
of useful breaks on the left, but nothing came of either of them. If Thomas and Crichton
had not been playing so well, we could have been stuffed out of sight by half-time. As it
was, we just conceded the one, when the swift McSporran let fly with a curling left footed
shot from the edge of the area. Some said that Crichton should have done better. I thought
that was harsh, for it seemed a terrific strike from where I was sitting. It was no more
than they deserved. However, for all Wycombe’s dominance, we could have gone into the
break all square. The chance was set up by Burnley’s best move of the game. West
overlapped on the right and put over a superb far post cross. Branch competed and nodded
down for Cooke to slam a first time volley against Taylor’s outstretched leg. It was
a brilliant save. So far, business as usual.
As expected, Mullin was substituted at half-time. Alan Lee replaced him, in order to
give Cooke more help up front as Stan reverted to 4-4-2. Not that there was any immediate
effect. Wycombe still had most of the play for the first fifteen minutes of the second
period. This prompted Stan to bring on Jepson and Payton for Branch and Cook. Burnley were
now playing three up and with Little pressing forward as well, it seemed more like 4-2-4.
This did the trick. The whole pattern of the game changed almost immediately. Jepson
bumping and grinding geed up the midfield and at last Mellon began to do useful things
with the ball, like finding Little and Smith. Burnley poured forward. After Lee had badly
misheaded a good cross wide, Cooke showed how it should be done. His first effort was
headed off the line. But when Payton got free on the left in the 68th minute
and clipped over a crisp cross, Cooke barged in between two Wycombe defenders to head in
at Taylor’s near post. Burnley’s Chiltern hundreds went ape. Being among the
Wycombe contingent (and under strict instructions from Andrew), our celebrations were a
tad muted.
Burnley should have then taken both points. Lee failed to release Payton. He also
seemed to squander a good opportunity when through with only Taylor to beat. Vinnicombe
made a brilliant saving tackle at the death, too. It didn’t stop us having the
jitters, though, when Davis conceded a late free kick on the edge of our box. Thankfully,
it came to nought and so we left Adams Park with something unique, a point.
So what should we make of this showing? The good news is that they haven’t yet
lost the resilience shown in last season’s run in. The signing of Mitchell Thomas is
particularly good news. He was superb alongside Steve Davis, strong, combative and
composed, always well positioned, heading clear when under pressure and stroking elegant
passes around from the back. Two ball playing centre backs? Surely, we can’t be
talking about Burnley can we? Crichton, too, must have caused Stan to re-consider his
goalkeeping strategy. Apart from one fluffed cross under pressure (Wycombe nearly found an
unguarded net), Crichton was at his best today. And then there’s Cooke. On the back
of this performance, we can’t afford to lose him. Not if we have pretensions of
challenging this year. Lee did not look nearly as good. But it is too early to make strong
judgements. Smith's selection ahead of Cowan was a surprise. I presume this was due to
form rather than injury? Whatever. I thought he did OK particularly when we began to take
the initiative. I ‘d rather have Cowan at the back, though, especially when we are
under the cosh. West did OK, too, without convincing me that he’s much better than
Pickering. The biggest disappointment was Mullin, who had a stinker. Anyway, all in all
this was a fair result and a sound start. Having buried one ghost how about slaying a few
dragons? City next and then Chesterfield would be good for starters.
Team: Crichton, West, Smith, Mellon, Davis,
Thomas, Little, Cook (Jepson 60), Cooke, Mullin (Lee 46), Branch (Payton 60). Subs not
used: Johnrose and Armstrong.
London Clarets Man of
the Match: (1st) Thomas, (2nd) Cooke, (3rd) Crichton.
Links - The home game and this game last season
