Burnley 2 Walsall 1, Saturday 12th October 2002
Another step in the right direction
The statistics said...
We beat Walsall 2-1, taking our unbeaten run to 10 matches in all competitions and lifting us to 9th in the table.
Goals were as follows:
Burnley
Blake (42): Lob over the stranded Saddlers keeper James Walker.
Steve Davis (69): Grant put a superb long diagonal ball over to Little. Little put a good cross in, which found Ian Moore. Moore shot, and Walker couldn't hold the ball. Davis then tapped in from close range.
Walsall
Birch (79): Walsall won a corner. Beresford seemed to misjudge the flight of the ball, but no-one was marking Birch and he was able to easily head the ball home.
Our survey said...
Woody: A hard-earned victory against strong, physical opponents. Despite being short of a couple of our most influential players, we were the better side overall and deserved to win.
Terry: We were looking good until they scored and we decided to sit back. Having no player in your opponents' half is a dangerous way to play. I felt that we were too defensive too soon - one slip or piece of bad luck and we would have gone away with only a draw.
Paddy: We looked quite comfortable, and should have had more than a 2-0 lead by the time Walsall scored. There were too many defensive mistakes for comfort, but we still managed to win. Best moment of the day was Tony Grant's superb cross-field ball to Little, which ultimately led to our second goal.
Pauline: Never mind the game - I have been that close to Paul Cook's shirt! I was in a party who were sponsoring the match ball, so got a tour of the ground. It's fantastic! Got Steve Davis to autograph my programme, as well! Oh - and we won again.
Pic of the day
Before the game, we visited the home dressing room. It's surprisingly small - one of the smallest in the Division, apparently. Our guide - Andy Lochhead! - told us that Stan actually likes it that way, and if a new one is ever built (for example, if the Cricket Field stand were to be redeveloped), Stan will insist on the new room being equally compact. I wouldn't like to be in there after having a bad game!
We found out some other interesting facts whilst in the dressing room. A shirt is good for around eleven matches. The bathing area is primitive - one cold tub, one hot one, and one shower. Not very hygienic! And some of the players have strange superstitions about their kit. For example, Graham Branch has some kind of odd undergarment hung out on display!
As with all articles on the site, the views expressed in the vox pop section are those of the individual contributors, and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Burnley FC London Supporters Club.
