1/12 We are
allocated 3,500 tickets for our Boxing Day game at Bury. It's rumoured that Ternent and
Alan Lee don't get on, and that Tom Cowan is not being picked for similar reasons. Our
youth game against Bury is cancelled due to the players' mock GCSE exams.
2/12 Gary Ablett signs for Wycombe on loan, and will
play against us on Saturday.
3/12 Oh hell. The club announce they are recruiting a
team of - wait for it - cheerleaders, to be known as the 'Clarettes' and to appear at home
matches. I give them two games.
4/12 Burnley 1 High Wycombe 0. Scorer: Payton
(78). Team: Crichton, West (Jepson 66), Armstrong, Davis, Thomas, Mellon, Cook, Little,
Mullin (Branch 57), Payton, Cooke (Johnrose 78). Subs not used: Brass and Lee. Att: 9,149.
See our match report for details. Our goal comes after High
Wycombe player Devine’s penalty hits the post. As this was given for a foul outside
the area, justice is done. We remain tucked in nicely in fifth place.
6/12 Damien Matthew announces his retirement from the
game due to injury. Matthew, 29, joined Northampton in the summer of 1998 but only played
once for them. He played 68 games for Burnley after signing from Crystal Palace, including
some fine performances in the 1997-98 season. Ternent suggests he may move to strengthen
his squad before the end of the year, and says he is confident that if he wanted to sign a
player the Board would find the money.
7/12 Wigan 2 Burnley 1 in the Joke Cup, Wigan
scoring the winner in golden goal extra time. Scorers: Lee / Bradshaw (pen), Morris. Team:
Crichton, West (Robertson), Branch, Thomas, Davis, Mullin, Johnrose, Little, Weller
(Brass), Lee (Cowan), Payton. Subs not used: Mawson and Shandran. Att: 2,085. See our match report for details. They get a penalty, we don't,
and Ternent is less than happy, criticising the referee. At least Paul Weller makes his
first start in an age. Welcome back, Paul. Elsewhere, old boys Kevin Henderson for
Hartlepool and - has the world gone mad? - Steve Alfonso Morgan for Hull both score. The
Rhapsody in Claret and Blue video is launched.
8/12 The London Clarets Parliamentary visit. Over forty
members are able to tour the Houses of Parliament, thanks to Burnley MP Peter Pike.
Burnley Chairman Barry Kilby also joins us for lunch in the Westminster Arms. The
reserves' home match against Lincoln is postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.
10/12 The new town centre shop 'Turf Moor in Town' on
St James' Street is officially opened by Stan Ternent. Barry Kilby's horse William O'Dee
falls at the third to last fence after leading a race at Cheltenham. An omen?
11/12 Derby 0 Burnley 1! Scorer: Cooke (62).
Team: Crichton, West, Armstrong (Jepson 83), Davis, Thomas, Mellon, Cook (Johnrose 87),
Little, Mullin, Cooke, Payton (Branch 77). Subs not used: Brass and Weller. Att: 23,400. See our match report for details. Burnley are easily the better
side and produce a well deserved win. This is the first time we have knocked a top
division side out of a cup competition since beating Spurs in 1983. Clarets star on Match
of the Day and are praised as ‘magnificent’ by Alan Hansen. The noise made by
the 4,648 away following is out of this world too. Who says the FA Cup has lost its magic?
12/12 Universal acclaim for the Clarets in the Sunday
papers. All report that we won in style and deservedly so. Non-patronising reports for a
change! We are drawn away at Coventry in the next round. The home match against Gillingham
will now be postponed.
13/12 Alan Lee is out for the season, revealed to have
ligament damage after going off against Wigan. Paul Cook's yellow card against Derby means
he will be the first suspended Burnley player of the season, missing Bury. Kurt Nogan is
said to be about to join all the other Clarets rejects at Warren-Joyce's-Hull for
£100,000.
14/12 Adrian Heath rejoins Su'lan' as Chief Coach. Man
Utd 'fans' complain that rare colour footage of Burnley playing a pre-Munich MUFC on the
new Rhapsody in Claret and Blue video means they'll have to shell out for the whole thing!
15/12 Burnley Reserves 2 Huddersfield Reserves 1.
Scorers: Jepson, Kevan. Team: Mawson, Scott, Cowan, Brass, Heywood, Johnrose (Devenney
50), Weller (Kevan 50), Jepson (Kelly 50), Shandran, Robertson and Smith. Subs not used:
Paxton and Williamson. Ternent hints that Peter Swan may fill in if either Cooke or Payton
become injured. He played in this role for Ternent at Bury. Paul Smith is now available
for the first team
16/12 The Burnley FC AGM takes place. It's the shortest
and least controversial such meeting in years. Ray Ingleby and John Turkington are elected
to the board and Frank Teasdale is re-elected, proposed by Ray Ingleby and with one vote
against. See Hego's report. Danny Reubens is appointed as the
club's new Promotions Manager from Leeds rugby.
17/12 Ahead of our game, it's rumoured that Kurt Nogan
is to sign for Cardiff. He doesn't want to go to Hull.
18/12 Burnley 2 Cardiff 1. Scorers: Armstrong
(34), Johnrose (68) / Thomas (og 15). Team: Crichton, West (Branch 26), Armstrong, Thomas,
Davis, Mellon (Johnrose 65), Cook, Little, Mullin, Payton, Cooke (Jepson 85). Subs not
used: Brass and Weller. Att: 9,753. See our match report for
details. Gordon Armstrong is booked and will now miss Notts County away.
20/12 Neil 'the Lollipop Man' Moore will be holding
aloft his 'Stop! Children' sign at third division Macclesfield, having signed on a week to
week basis after a trial period. He is, however, currently suspended due to reserve team
bookings!
26/12 Bury 4 Burnley 2. Scorers: Jepson (90),
Mullin (90) / Preece (7, pen 11), Barrass (32), Littlejohn (41). Team: Crichton, West
(Cowan 46), Armstrong, Davis (sent off 9), Brass, Mellon (Jepson 46), Johnrose, Little
(Weller 57), Mullin, Branch, Cooke. Subs not used: Payton and Smith. Att: 9,115. See our match report for details. Steve Davis is sent off for a
handball on the line on 11 minutes. Burnley are 4-0 down at half time and both our goals
come in stoppage time. Thomas and Payton are both absent with a flu bug which has hit
Burnley, Cook is suspended. Davis will miss Chesterfield away.
27/12 All Coventry tickets are sold, before they had a
chance to go on general sale to non-season ticket holders. Despite club pressure, Coventry
refuse to increase our 4,100 allocation.
28/12 Burnley 3 Oxford 2. Scorer: Payton (pen
22, 80, 89) / Anthrobus (3), Whelan (52). Team: Crichton, West (Jepson 57 ), Branch (Smith
75), Davis, Thomas, Mellon, Cook (Weller 46), Little, Mullin, Cooke, Payton. Subs not
used: Johnrose and Cowan. Att: 14,218. See our match report for
details. This is Payton's second hat trick of the season. Before the game, the 1959/60
Championship side is paraded and Jimmy McIlroy opens his stand. At half time, some of the
1960 Youth Cup Winning side take the field, and presentations are made for long term
service to David Iven, Albert Maddox, Margaret Potts and Hilda Lord. Along with a
pre-match happy hour in Turf Moor bars, this helps add several thousand to the attendance.
The first Steve Davis plays for the opposition. Thomas plays despite still clearly
suffering from the flu. Mellon is booked and will miss Chesterfield away.
31/12 Barry Kilby says that January will be a crucial
month for the club's financial plans. He has put together a document setting out the
financial rewards of premier league status in an attempt to persuade non-Burnley investors
to put money into the club. This would raise much-needed cash for squad-strengthening.
It's thought Ternent wants to sign another defender to cover for Davis and Thomas.
