Burnley P-P Franchise FC
Gone with the wind
The statistics said...
Our home game against Franchise FC was called off at the eleventh hour. Actually, that's not quite correct: kick-off was first mysteriously delayed (to 3.30), and then the game was called off.
The reason for the postponement was unclear for some time, but it eventually transpired that the game had been called off "for safety reasons". More precisely, because of the wind. (Yes, that natural and frequent phenomenon: the wind.)
According to the Club's Safety Officer, high winds meant it would be unsafe for spectators in the Jimmy Mac and Harry Potts Longside stands. Evidently a 16-stone steward had "felt himself blown by the wind", and things had been blown off buildings in Blackburn. Apparently there was also a concern that bulbs from the floodlights would fall out and hit people.
Okay - sarcasm doesn't translate well, but let's just say that we were extremely surprised that the match was called off at all, and disappointed that the decision to do so was made so late. It's been windy for days, for heaven's sake!
Still, we soon found other things to do. Some of us took advantage of the extra drinking time, others went to watch Accrington Stanley v Stevenage Borough, and one person hopped over to Colne to see them take on AFC Sudbury in the second leg of the FA Vase semi finals. (If you're interested, Colne drew 1-1 on the day, but lost 4-3 on aggregate. No? Thought not.)
Although we were disappointed that the game was called off, we still made time for our usual vox pop.
Our survey said...
Woody:
Vox pop 1 (early evening)
I am at a loss to understand how a First Division football match could be postponed. Did we build a ground with new stands, or a matchbox?
It was a terrible result for Burnley Football Club financially, it was a bad result for Burnley Football Club on the pitch, and it was a bad scenario for those of us who'd travelled up from London.
But at least Brian Jensen made no catastrophic errors today.
Vox pop 2 (later...)
Jensen stank. I am sick of seeing the fat slug costing us points. Roche is a lightweight. Camara is a joke - the worst Burnley player ever to play all the games in a First Division season. Chaplow is excellent in midfield, but we shouldn't push him too far. He is young enough to be superb. Grant has improved, but has become acceptable rather than great. Weller has disappeared, and his injuries have finally taken their toll. Little is still superb - and sadly misunderstood by the general public. Wood is OK, and could be better - but what a great name!! Ian Moore is either good or bad, depending on his mood - which makes him not good enough at this level. Blake is clearly the man of the season. He will be badly missed when he is sold elsewhere.
Firmo:
My soul is filled with despair. This is rubbish. My entire weekend has gone. It feels like suffering is an art form. Patrick's shirt was sponsored by Persil Colourfast.
Editor's note: Paddy was sporting his new, bright yellow, retro-look away shirt. Opinion was divided as to what he most closely resembled. Some of the more polite suggestions were: a giant lemon; a giant canary; the sun. Most votes went to the sun, as it's a similar size.
Paddy:
Today was an unreal experience. We got to Burnley, and the game was called off. Apparently for high winds. Unbelievable. It wasn't that windy. We tried to go to watch Accrington Stanley, but failed. So we drank lots of beer instead.
Julian:
Windy (very) - and that's not Patrick!
Brent:
I am not happy. Having stood in for Pauline at the last minute, here I am in the windy north west of England and with no game. Shaggy Dog was meant to give us a lift to Accrington, but he got lost. We didn't get there until half time, and so it wasn't worth going to the game. We went to the pub instead.
John H:
Baa! Baked beans (too much wind). Went to Accrington Stanley - the first time I've ticked a ground when on a Burnley home trip.
The game ended 2-1 to Stanley. They were 1-0 down at half time, but came back in the second half when the wind was behind them. I went to the club shop to see if they had any programmes, but it was newly opened and some of the stock hadn't been unpacked! Got a badge instead.
Dermot:
It didn't seem that windy in Burnley. I went to watch Accrington Stanley against Stevenage, and I'd say it was windier in Accrington.
It was a typical game of two halves. Accy used the conditions better. It was a very good game, considering the conditions. Cooky played - in gloves, as usual! Apparently he is going to take up a coaching rôle next season. Gordon Armstrong didn't feature, but it looks like he's not played much this season.
Clive Holt:
No game at Turf Moor will ever be called off again due to the weather.
Pic of the day
We managed to get a picture of the Turf Moor windsock. Look out for those falling lightbulbs!
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 views of the Burnley FC London Supporters' Club.
