Sunderland 1 Burnley 1
Into the (Stadium of) Light
The statistics said...
We drew 1-1 away at Sunderland - Burnley's first ever visit to the Stadium of Light. The Black Cats took the lead in the 39th minute, a defensive lapse leaving Kevin Kyle able to slot the ball home. Ian Moore equalised in the 72nd minute with a close-range finish following good build-up play.
The result (the Clarets' third game unbeaten) saw us move to 16th in the Division One table. With two (albeit tricky) home games coming up, hopefully this run can continue.
We should mention that our trip was a joint one with The Sunderland AFC Supporters Association (London and Southern England Branch), who kindly made the travel arrangements. Our thanks go especially to Tracey, their Travel Secretary. Also travelling with us were several Scunthorpe fans (Scunthorpe were playing away at Darlington, where they came from two goals down to secure a 2-2 draw). Hopefully this will help to dispel the myth that opposing supporters can't travel together without World War III starting.
A good number of London Clarets stayed overnight in Sunderland. A number of fine hostelries were visited, and a good time was had by all. Our thanks go to Woody for sorting out the accommodation. No disrespect to Sunderland's promotion hopes, but we hope to return next season!
Our survey said...
:
Given the conditions, it was a tremendous match, and a draw was a fair result. I thought we struggled in defence, but Jensen had probably his best game yet, making two tremendous saves in particular.
Our best player was Blake, who was excellent, closely followed by Ian Moore. We caused their defence all sorts of trouble, with Poom also making two excellent saves.
I'm told that Bolton want £200K for Facey, which he's never worth. Indeed, if Delroy Facey is worth two hundred thousand pounds, then I'm Dick Whittington.
Editor's note: as far as we can tell, most Dick Whittingtons (in panto, at least) seem to be female. We don't believe that Woody realised this!
Kevin:
It was a brilliant game. I thought that some of our players played really well; others weren't quite with it. I thought that Blake, McGregor and Jensen were all outstanding. Either team could have won, but in the end a draw was a fair result.
My biggest worry at the moment is the Club's annual accounts, which have just been published. I think the Club might be a bit optimistic as regards the time it will take to recover our financial position.
Editor's note: Kevin is an accountant, so he knows what he's talking about. We'll be commenting more fully on the accounts in due course.
Paddy:
A very good game, ending as it should have done: in a draw. Both teams were committed to playing attacking football, and it was end-to-end stuff. It's just a shame that one of the two chances we had that came back off the inside of the post didn't go in. Had that been the case, I'd have fancied our chances of winning.
Jensen had his best game in a Burnley shirt, and Robbie Blake is getting back to his best.
If we play like that next week, we've got a good chance of sending Colin on his way with no points.
Dermot:
After an excellent first half (in which we conceded another goal), we came out for the second half and continued to play well. We equalised, and then could have won it. All in all, an excellent day, and an excellent night out.
John:
A much more entertaining match than last Saturday. With a little bit of luck, we would have had all three points. More of the same should move us up the League.
Jules:
A great performance, with a point a fair result. Jensen pulled off some amazing saves, and how unlucky we were to hit the post twice. This gives me lots of hope for the rest of the season.
Joan:
A good result. Wild and windy, but a great atmosphere. 10 players had a good match - it's difficult to pick the best one. Jensen made some good saves, and McGregor played well after being out. Lots of noise from Burnley!
Firmo:
I was in Nigeria for the game - actually, Burnley's good form coincided with my absence from this country. I'll be going back to Nigeria, and staying there until May.
Editor's note: OK, we're joking! Cruel, but funny. Poor Firmo missed not only the game, but the chance to sample Sunderland's pubs. Never mind, there's always next season...
Poll of the day
Nope - just lots of drinking!
Pic of the day
For some reason, imitation people are scattered around the centre of Newcastle. See if you can spot the impostor in this group photo. (Our money's on the one on the far right - well, he certainly looks odd to us!)
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.
