1/10 Martin Smith, who turned
down a short term deal with Burnley to join Adrian-Heath's-Sheffield-United, secures a
long term deal at that club as scouts begin to take an interest. Never mind, eh?
2/10 Burnley 2 Brentford 2.
Scorers: Payton (23), Cook (31) / Partridge (54), Evans (80). Team: Crichton, West, Smith
(Johnrose 57), Mellon (Mullin 76), Thomas, Davis, Little, Cook, Payton, Branch (Cooke 76),
Armstrong. Subs not used: Brass and Lee. Att: 10,907. See our match
report for details. We manage to chuck a two goal lead away, thanks to a suicidal
Armstrong backpass and a goal from 45 yards out (after the ref gets in the way) by Paul
Evans, famous for, err, scoring from 60 yards out the week before. The game is preceded by
a minute’s silence in memory of Walter Joyce. Ternent says after the game that the
team are working on six match ‘cycles’, from each of which we need to take
twelve points; so far we are apparently on course. He adds, "half a loaf is better
than nothing." Steve Davis says it feels like a defeat. We drop to third.
4/10 Alan Lee is not picked for the Eire Under-21 squad
to play Macedonia.
5/10 Mansfield Youth 1 Burnley Youth 1 in the
first round of the FA Youth Cup. Paul Barrett earns a replay with the equaliser. The team,
for future reference, is: Paxton, Pilkington, Fogarty, Savage, Davis, Leary, Barrett,
Bowden, Shandran (Licastry 86), Clarke, Waine. Subs not used: Eaves, Barker, Davis. The
story about Adrian-Heath's-Sheffield-United's alleged interest in Glen Little is once
again disinterred.
6/10 Birmingham Reserves 0 Burnley Reserves 0.
Ian Joy, an 18 year-old midfielder recently on Tranmere's books, plays on trial. Team:
Mawson, Scott, Cowan, Brass, Heywood, Kevan, Weller, Mullin, Cooke, Lee, Joy (Devenney
60).
7/10 The magnificent Ged Harrison again goes on loan to
Warren-Joyce's-Hull. Not a bad player, Harrison. Mitchell Thomas is named Match Magazine
Second Division Player of the Month.
8/10 Ominously, Scunthorpe sign Lionel Perez and Clint
Marcelle on loan before Sunday's game. Former goalkeeping legend Alan Stevenson announces
that he is auctioning his Burnley memorabilia.
9/10 With most of the other teams playing, we slip to
fifth place.
10/10 Burnley 1 Scunthorpe 2 in front of the tv
cameras. Scorers: Payton (59) / Ipoua (25, 85). Team: Crichton, West, Smith, Mellon
(Mullin 46), Davis, Thomas, Armstrong (Cooke 76), Little, Cook, Payton, Branch (Weller
82). Subs not used: Brass and Johnrose. Att: 10,752, buoyed up by a thousand or so kid a
quidders. See our match report for details. A London Clarets
contingent catches the game in Buzzo's house. Thanks for the wine, Paul, shame about the
game. Weller's return is perhaps the only bright spot, while ex-Claret 'Big Bad' John
Gayle comes on for Scunthorpe near the end. Stan Ternent says before the game that he
isn't worried that no one other than Payton is scoring goals. He should be. He later says
it was a "bad day at the office," but criticises the crowd for being so quiet
and says we should get behind the team. Not this again.
11/10 Paul Cook says he thinks Ternent plans to bring
more players in. We are once again linked with Nicky Dawes of Bury. Bury are said to be
ready to sell, and we are said to be interested in an exchange deal. John O’Kane,
transfer listed at Everton, is also linked, despite looking useless when on loan with us
last year. Huddersfield deny that we have enquired about their 24 year-old leftback Jamie
Vincent. Either could cost £300,000? Whither Tom Cowan? The Lancashire Youth Cup game
unfortunately finishes Burnley Youth 0 Blackpool Youth 2.
12/10 Jimmy Mullen becomes manager of Merthyr Tydfil of
the Dr Martens Premier Division. It's rumoured that we're looking for another striker,
possibly Steve Jones, signed by Bristol City from Charlton only weeks ago.
13/10 Rotherham Reserves 0 Burnley Reserves 1 in
something called the Pontin's League Cup. Mark Robertson scores the goal at the death.
Team: Mawson, Scott, Cowan, Brass, Heywood (Williamson), Johnrose, Weller, Mullin (Kelly),
Cooke, Robertson, Joy (Devenney). Both Tom Cowan and John Mullin pick up injuries. Mark
Ford tells the Lancashire Evening Telegraph that he is getting his career back on track in
Belgium after "one bad year."
14/10 Burnley Youth 1 Mansfield Youth 3 in the
cup replay. Shandran gets our goal.
15/10 Andy Payton says he's happy shouldering the
burden of scoring all the goals. 21 year old Kettering Town keeper Adam Sollitt is said to
be interesting the club. Adrian-Heath's-Sheffield-United recently bid £20,000 for him.
16/10 Millwall
1 Burnley 1. Scorers: Cooke (12) / Cahilll (70). Team: Crichton, West, Smith, Mullin,
Davis, Thomas, Little (Mellon 77), Cook, Cooke (Branch 81), Payton, Johnrose. Subs not
used: Jepson, Brass, Armstrong. Att: 8,601. See our match report
for details. After the Scunthorpe defeat, Ternent drops Armstrong, Branch and Mellon
and switches to 4-4-2. Clarets are drawn away at Barnet in the First Round of the FA Cup. Carlisle
Youth 1 Burnley Youth 0.
18/10 Those perennial nuisances at Sky tv announce that
they will televise our game against Barnet, which will now kick off on Sunday 31 October
at one o'clock.
19/10 Cambridge 0 Burnley 1. Scorer: Cooke (6).
Team: Crichton, West, Davis, Thomas, Smith (Brass 87), Johnrose, Little (Mellon 72),
Mullin, Cook, Cooke, Branch (Lee 79). Subs not used: Armstrong, Jepson. Att: 4,328. See our match report for details. We move to fifth. The pubs are
well up to standard, too. The shock news as we arrive at the Allotment End is that Andy
Payton is absent, officially with diarrhoea. Before the game, Barry Kilby reveals that the
money raised from the rights issue has now been spent and the club is set to announce a
trading loss of £1,000,000, with playing contract costs having risen by 30%. It would
appear that there is currently no money for transfers, but there are plans to raise
further cash, which might allow for squad strengthening later this season. Predictably, in
the face of yet another stab in the back for lower division football from the FA, our home
game against Blackpool is rescheduled for Sunday 14th November with a one
o'clock kick off, to avoid the far less significant Scotland-England game clashing with
it.
20/10 It emerges that Andy Payton is to be questioned
by the police after absconding from his car when it was stopped for a routine check on
Coal Clough Lane in Burnley at around midnight on Saturday. It's not known what connection
this has with the diarrhoea that the clubs insists he had. Ex-Oxford and Nottingham Forest
winger Chris Allen joins us for a week's trial. Although he once starred against us, he
has been everywhere on loan, was released by Port Vale at the end of last season and has
been looking for a club ever since. He plays for the reserves in the Pontin's League Group
Cup return leg, which finishes Burnley Reserves 1 Rotherham Reserves 1. Mark
Robertson scores ours, a penalty. Team: Mawson, Scott (Bowden), Allen, Brass, Williamson,
Devenney (Kelly), Weller, Lee, Shandran, Robertson, Kevan. Oddly, the kick off time for
our game at Barnet is again changed, to 1.30.
21/10 Burnley FC make an official statement that Payton
will be speaking to the police shortly "to clear matters up" and there will be
no further comment. It's clearly the time of year to move games, as it's rumoured our
match at Wigan, scheduled for 27 November, might be moved to a Sunday. Apparently, due to
the fact that it isn't actually finished and there are access problems, the capacity of
the 'JJB Stadium' is 10,000 on Saturday but 16,000 on Sunday. Don't you just love new
grounds? We are said to be watching an Accrington Stanley striker, Gary Williams.
22/10 The police say that Payton could be prosecuted. A
file has been sent to the Crown Prosecution Service. It's reported that we offered
£700,000 for Bristol City's Steve Jones, but it was turned down. Ternent is cross about
soon-to-be-sacked Bristol City boss Tony Pulis bringing this up, coincidentally the day
before we are due to play them. Apparently our interest never went further than a
speculative enquiry, of the kind he makes all the time. Speaking in the Lancashire Evening
Telegraph, he comments, "It's absolute amateurism as management goes. I make 10 to 20
of those calls a week and other managers do the same to me." Meanwhile Ian Joy, who
has been playing for the reserves, will not be signed. Jamie 'Panda' Hoyland, most
recently of 92nd-finishing Scarborough, will join Burnley as a Football in the
Community Officer from 1st November.
23/10 Burnley 0 Bristol City 2. Scorers: Cook
(6), Cooke (61). Team: Crichton, West, Smith, Davis, Thomas, Cook (Jepson), Johnrose,
Mullin (Mellon), Little, Cooke (Branch), Payton. Subs not used: Brass and Lee. Att:
10,175. See our match report for details. Paul Cook says that
the management have encouraged him to take more shots. The club finally present Bobby
Seith with his 1959-60 Championship Medal at the game.
25/10 Ternent says he will not be following up his
interest in Chris Allen, on the grounds that he's no better than players we already have.
Tom Cowan returns to training.
26/10 It's reported that although Wigan have asked for
our game against them to be moved to a Sunday, Ternent has put his foot down and refused
to agree! He's apparently fed up of never playing on a Saturday. Hats off! We've come a
long way since we agreed to play Wolves on a Friday night so they could pick their
internationals against us.
27/10 Burnley Reserves 1 Tranmere Reserves 1.
The game marks Tom Cowan's return from injury. Team: Mawson, Robertson, Cowan, Mellon,
Brass, Armstrong, Weller, Jepson (Kelly), Lee, Shandran, Branch. Subs not used:
Williamson, Paxton, Devenny, Bowden. Mellon scores.
30/10 Burnley Youth 3 Wigan Youth 2. Burnley are
given little incentive in the FA Cup by being handed a yawnsome home tie against Rotherham
in the second round if they beat Barnet.
31/10 Which they do. Barnet 0 Burnley 1 in the
not-sponsored-by-anyone-we-care-to-mention FA Cup First Round. Scorer: Cook (74). Team:
Crichton, West, Smith (Armstrong 46), Davis, Thomas, Mellon, Cook, Mullin, Little (Jepson
75), Payton (Lee 75), Cooke. Subs not used: Brass and Weller. Att: 2,563. See our match report for details. Cook's goal is a cross that goes
in, but what the hell, at least he doesn't try to pretend he meant it afterwards. This is
Ternent's first ever win in any kind of cup competition as Burnley manager. Prior to the
game, supporters are handed leaflets advertising the forthcoming Burnley official history
video, Rhapsody in Claret and Blue. The club appeal for Clarets fans to buy it, having
laid out some amount of cash to put it together. I've got my copy ordered!
