We'll crack on and I still think we can improve

Last updated : 20 October 2002 By Tony Scholes

It was a magnificent victory that takes the unbeaten run to eleven games and a victory that both managers agreed was very much deserved.

Leicester have had a difficult week with the club on the brink of administration and the players went into the game having accepted a drop in pay but manager Micky Adams didn’t believe that could be used as an excuse for their performance. He said after the game,

"It’s been a difficult couple of weeks but as I’ve said to the players after the game there are no excuses. We’ve lost a game and people don’t want to hear about the last two weeks but as far as I was concerned the players were ready for the game and they were organised and we just got beaten.

"I think we had chances. The clearest one of all was Paul Dickov’s little side foot finish – I would have fancied him on that one. And there was the offside goal, I would like to see that one again.

"We can all make excuses but the fact of the matter is that we will miss Muzzy Izzet because he is a creative midfielder but Stef Oakes went in the middle and I thought he was excellent.

"We’re disappointed and if I am being over critical I would say that we perhaps lacked a bit of desire at both ends in the box. We are disappointed but it isn’t the end of the world.

"Burnley were very resilient and were better than us. The pace of the game we play, particularly in the second half, means that teams have folded against us. The thing about them was that they stood up to us and won a lot of tackles and put their bodies on the line and they were made of sterner stuff and I would expect that from one of Stan’s teams.

"We will have better days and we will certainly have worse days but it just ends a perfect two weeks."

Stan arrived from his seat in the stand a happy man as the Clarets picked up another three points without his touchline cajoling,

"We are the first team to win at Leicester’s new ground so I guess we’ll be remembered for something then and I’m pleased to have made history. I think we played well and we had a lot of chances but we didn’t take our opportunities.

"We had to defend and they threw a lot at us in the box and they have a few big lads in there but they didn’t have any clear cut opportunities so we’ll take the three points. We’re playing really well at the moment but we’ll crack on and I still think we can improve.

"We’ll enjoy today and it’s realistic to say that the players are doing well at the moment but if I can keep them injury free and away from suspension there’s more to come from them.

"I wasn’t that far away from the dug out today so it wasn’t too bad and it was a decent view. Glen Little has been saying I should stay there so I’ll have a think about it. But it’s a good three points for us."

Moore strike foils Foxes

Hugh Jamieson (Sunday Times)

LEICESTER manager Micky Adams and his players suffered more than a 10% pay cut in the turmoil surrounding a successful last-ditch bid to prevent the club going into administration with a £30m debt.

Yesterday they suddenly found themselves with a power cut as Burnley shattered their 100% home record at the new Walkers’ Stadium.

To his credit, Adams refused to hide behind the events of the last fortnight, insisting: "It might have been a difficult time but I don’t want to hear any excuses from anyone, including the players.

"We are trying to adopt a siege mentality here and whatever our opinions are about what’s been going on we will keep them to ourselves."

Burnley refused to get stage fright and were made of much sterner stuff as they stretched their unbeaten run to seven league games to continue an impressive revival.

Leicester had only themselves to blame. They could have raced into an 40-second lead when Brian Deane drove just wide of the far post, but then found themselves bankrupt of ideas as a resilient Burnley more than matched them.

Without Turkish midfield star Muzzy Izzet through suspension, Leicester struggled to map out the sort of incisive approach work that had put them on an 11-game unbeaten league and cup run.

Indeed, Burnley rarely looked in any danger and eventually punished Leicester with a 55th-minute goal from Ian Moore. Leicester failed to clear Glen Little’s left-wing corner, and they left Arthur Gnohere unmarked for a header that provided Moore with a simple finish from close range.

Leicester’s best opportunity — and about the only one in a tedious display — saw Paul Dickov nip through in the 64th minute on Dean West’s wayward header only to hit the ball against the legs of goalkeeper Marlon Beresford from point-blank range.

In the end, it needed some magnificent work from Leicester goalkeeper Ian Walker to stop Little, Lee Briscoe and Gareth Taylor adding to Burnley’s tally.

All of this left Burnley fan Alastair Campbell, New Labour’s Downing Street Press guru, all smiles sitting among the away supporters along with the club’s "manager for the day", Chris Barker.

Manager Stan Ternent had auctioned the job on the internet as he served a two-match touchline ban, and Barker’s wife Antoinette paid £630 for the prize as an early 50th birthday present for her husband.

Ternent smiled and said afterwards: "Chris didn’t have much to do in the dug-out because the players did it all for him, but it was a good way to raise money for the club.

"Perhaps we will go down in history as the first team to win at Leicester’s new stadium, and we certainly enjoyed the moment."