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Match Details
13.01.2001
Burnley team:
Mihopoulos, Thomas, Cox, Davis (2), Mullin (off 46), Cook, Johnrose, Weller, Branch  , Moore, Smith, Little (on, 46), Crichton (sub), Armstrong (sub), Mellon (sub), Payton (sub)
Gillingham team:
Bartram, Edge, Smith, Ashby, Southall, Asaba, Saunders, Pennock,
Hope, Lewis, Shaw (Onuora, 70 ). Subs not used: Patterson,
Gooden, Browning, King
Referee: P Dowd (Stoke-on-Trent)
Reports
I thought we played well and easily deserved a draw. Before the
match I heard nothing but reports of doom and gloom (apart from a
little joy at PNE's freefall), so a result and performance like
that seemed to perk most people up no end.During the game I was positioned behind Firmo and the other
London Clarets, notable by their scribbling in a little notebook
in order to prepare for their later Web reports. Checking the
progress of was a good barometer of the match as a whole: early
in the second half it was near barren, but by the end the little
book was in heavy use. To all outward appearances it seems as if Stan came looking for
one thing, and that was a clean sheet. I didn't see the
after-match interviews, but my mind's eye has him waxing lyrical
over a strong defensive display. Smith and Weller could have been
tied to their own byeline with an ungenerous length of bungee
rope, so unadventurous were they, and Johnrose and Cook sat very
deep to protect the usual central back three. Although Paul Shaw
made Ian Cox look lost at times with some very sharp movement and
there was a late spell of Gillingham pressure, there didn't
appear to be that much to worry about all game. Almost every shot
was charged down and at times there were swarms of Clarets
shirts around any hint of defensive danger. Back to Basics, and
it worked pretty well I thought. In the first half, after Davis blazing over the bar in the second
minute, it was left to John Mullin to provide the attacking link
in front of the defensive screen, but the poor guy barely got a
touch all match. Up front, Branch and Moore barely seemed to be
on speaking terms, let alone passing. Can anyone remember a
successful pass between the two all match? I can't. Little came
on at the start of the second half and transformed our attacking
options. Playing much the same role as Mullin looked the perfect
position to him; not stuck out on the wing like much of last
season, he and Moore looked to have quite an understanding at
times. Even so, we didn't really threaten too much (I wish I had
the London Clarets' notebook now, my memory is appalling). So, a draw away to an in-form side, and at least we're not stuck
on 38 points any more... here's to survival. UTC Steve Errors? Comments? Opinions to add to this page? Mail us!
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