Match Details

Reports

Stan has saddled up the promotion charger and you had better start believing that we have now more than just an outside chance. Personally I can see this one being a photo finish especially if we despatch the increasingly angst ridden and wobbly looking Birmingham City on Saturday and pick up another three against Tranmere, a side so desperate they have signed Micky Mellon. Obviously the sides in the box seats Preston, WBA and City are favourites, however if we do pick up six points and should Albion go the same way as Sheffield

United at Gillingham or only draw we will be neck and neck with both with only two games to go, so Saturday's match is an absolute monster game, the biggest match at Turf Moor for literally decades and the way they are playing at the moment they can win this game.

The Clarets took on the Baggies at Turf Moor on a wet drizzly day

with a blanket of drizzle gradually obscuring the Deerplay hills,

with the Turf Moor pitch looking worse for wear, not an ideal surface for passing football and the Clarets settled better in the difficult conditions. What followed was a gargantuan epic tussle between two top sides in the Division and produced what must go down as one of the best games of footy seen in Burnley for years.

In a very tight game of football, with chances few and far between on both sides the Clarets defended resolutely with great composure facing the deadly Hughes and his experienced gaol poaching sidekick wily old Bob Taylor. The midfield of Weller, Cook and Ball were constantly battling for supremacy and never relented for one second all afternoon. This left Glen free to indulge in his favourite past time, tormenting defenders. The first half was close with few clear cut

chances, however after a fantastic turn and run Ian Moore picked the ball up in the middle of the Albion half rounded three defenders, and slipped past two more into the box and was just about to shoot when the two trailing Albion defenders and Moore went down in a heap, for what looked to be a clear cut "bang to rights" penalty. However the ref waved play on, it looked a spot kick to me but others felt that perhaps Moore had played too much for the spot kick and that it was an excellent tackle, whatever, the ref is always right.

Albion came close a couple of times, most controversially when the ref put Hughes through on goal but NTG produced a superb full length save. So it was honours even at half time but just after the kick off the Clarets got their noses in front when a gaol resulted from an

absolutely superb move involving Little, Taylor and Weller which resulted in Little finding space at the corner of the box to bend a shot left footed round the keeper. An ecstatic moment which on its own, was worth the 500 mile round trip as well as the admission money. We waited for Albion to come back at the Clarets but they were repelled time and again by some brilliant defending and splendid midfield play, and tireless work and skill up front from Taylor and Moore, who suddenly look a different pairing from the two hopeless cases on view at Portsmouth.

As you know, from their only really dangerous attack of the game Albion equalised. A long ball through ball caught Thomas in two minds and with a forward bearing down on him with his feet very high NTG cleared the ball awkwardly whilst avoiding potential decapitation. It fell directly to the waiting Fox who centred neatly on to Taylor's head six yards who powered home from close range before the Clarets back line had chance to re-group. It was a heartbreaking and disappointing moment as we were five minutes away from a famous victory which would have put us right in there.

Nonetheless lets not take anything away from Burnley they were magnificent, each and every one of them, individually and as a team. The age old problem recurred of moving from one to two nil, however it wasn't for want of trying and with tiring legs Stan took off Cook and Little with 15/20 minutes to go and settled for 1 û 0. OK who is to say that keeping the same side might have produced a different

result, who knows? Little has taken a couple of clatterings and

Cook for Briscoe made sense in that Lee has the extra legs needed to close down the opposition.

The late blow was either not so bad or even more disappointing when the other results came in with none of the other sides winning and Sheffield and Watford losing. Forest produced a late goal to provide the perfect result at Preston. Never mind on to Norwich.

Igor

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