Next Game – Scunthorpe United (away)

I don’t think anyone will need any reminding that Scunthorpe were the last side we played in 2^nd Division football just over three years ago and in fact right now it is also their last game at that level, they had already been relegated.

They are one of only seven clubs whose manager has been with them longer than Stan has been at Burnley and of course that is the somewhat eccentric former Claret Brian Laws, a manager who is definitely not on Stan’s Christmas card list.

Scunthorpe have improved with each season in the basement division and last season made the play offs but went out to almost local rivals Lincoln in the semi-finals.

Laws made some changes to his squad in the summer brining in Cliff Byrne from Sunderland and Huddersfield’s Kevin Sharp, Byrne had been at Glanford Park for much of last season on long term loan. They also have two players with them on loan, Steven McLean from Rangers and Middlesbrough’s Sam Russell.

They did lose players though including striker Martin Carruthers who moved on to Macclesfield, Carruthers had once been a Burnley target for Adrian Heath. Full back Andrew Dawson, also linked with Burnley in the past, moved on to Hull City.

Like Burnley they currently find themselves in mid table in their division. They have lost only twice and won three with the other four games all drawn. One of their defeats though was a 5-0 hammering at Mansfield.

Last Saturday they had to settle for a point in a 1-1 draw at Brisbaine Road against Leyton Orient. Having gone in front a couple of minutes before half time with a goal from Richard Kell they looked all set to pick up maximum points until Jabo Ibehre scored a stoppage time equaliser for the home side with just ten seconds left on the clock.

Manager Laws was furious with his team but he’d already lost it when he was sent to the stands by referee Tomlin after he had a touchline tantrum over a penalty decision.

The Scunthorpe side was: Sam Russell, Matt Sparrow, Kevin Sharp (Lee Featherstone 81), Jamie McCombe, Mark Jackson (Andy Butler 34), Nathan Stanton, Richard Kell, Cliff Byrne, Alex Calvo-Garcia, Steven McClean (Paul Hayes 67), Steve Torpey. Subs not used: Terry Barwick, Tom Evans.

They are in the 2^nd round of the Carling Cup after defeating Oldham Athletic 2-1 in the last round at Glanford Park. It was 0-0 at half time but Paul Hayes scored twice in six minutes early in the second half to put the Iron in command.

But Oldham pulled one back with a goal from our summer trialist Mickael Antoine-Curier, he has since been released by Oldham, but they hung on despite some Oldham pressure to win this first ever tie against the Clarets in this particular competition.

Click HERE to see Scunthorpe's results this season.

Past Results in the last 20 years

It was so close to Christmas that the festive lights had already been switched on in the town centre by Coronation Street’s Curly Watts who had been unable to bring his then girlfriend Kimberley with him.

Just up from the town centre the new Superbowl Ten Pin Bowling Alley was opening in the old MFI building in Finsley Gate, the new owner totally unaware that the building had first been used as a bowling alley, it was 1963 when Fairlanes brought the game to Burnley.

In football there was news of two former Clarets getting new jobs. Brian Flynn and Kevin Reeves were appointed manager and assistant manager respectively of fellow 4^th division club Wrexham.

And even a Hull City player got a mention locally with a Mr. & Mrs. Payton of Padiham announcing the engagement of their eldest son Andrew in the Burnley Express.

There were problems off the field at Turf Moor with people challenging the board of directors who were showing a complete lack of ambition. A takeover bid was dismissed by Chairman Teasdale who claimed it was not in the best interests of ALL the shareholders.

He was challenged by one of the shareholders Harry Brooks to put the 35,643 unissued shares on the market. Brooks himself pledged to invest £100,000 of his own money to boost the £1 million plan but needless to say it did not receive any encouragement from the Teasdale administration despite many shareholders publicly backing the plan.

On the football side there had been a rush of transfer activity at Turf Moor including a unique loan swap deal (recently repeated with Bolton) that saw Brendan O’Connell go to Huddersfield in return for Junior Bent whilst a young central defender Stephen Davis arrived from Southampton and had partnered captain Steve Davis at the back.

Stephen had arrived at Turf Moor with an old familiar face in our former North East scout Jack Hixon. It was Hixon who had taken the young Hexham born defender to the Dell.

The loan players though were unavailable for the cup ties and so any reference in the teams to Davis are in fact relating to Steve P Davis (or Davis Mark I).

The game was scheduled for Glanford Park and on police insistence, and not for the first time, we were forced into a morning kick off.

We went a goal down early in the game but came storming back in what was our best away performance of the season. Peter Mumby, our best player on the day, equalised before John Deary gave us the lead with just over half an hour to go.

Somehow Scunthorpe’s Taylor scored a second, despite being some distance offside, but we still should have won when we were awarded a penalty fifteen minutes from time. Winston White missed the spot kick and we had to settle for a draw in a game that we really should have won by a comfortable margin.

Scunthorpe were rightly worried about Mumby after his performance in the first match and targeted him from the off in the replay. Twice in the first two minutes he was caught, the second of which finally forced him off with only six minutes gone.

With no striker on the bench manager Frank Casper sent on defender Roger Eli and played him up front and the free transfer signing from Northwich Victoria was all set to change his career.

He turned in an excellent performance and gave the Clarets a 1-0 lead midway through the first half. Scunthorpe were having more problems with him than they had done with Mumby and resorted to some hard challenges. Two in two minutes from Stevenson saw him sent off and it looked all over with the Clarets still in front.

There were still 37 minutes to go but from that moment on we were awful, sitting on a lead and trying to just keep possession. We failed miserably and conceded a late equaliser and with no further goals in extra time a third match was required.

Burnley won the toss and it was set for Turf Moor but the Burnley Express reporter Granville Shackleton warned that we would have to play much better than we had in this second game. "Surely so many cannot play so badly again at the same time," said Granville.

It was Eli, in inspirational form, who gave the Clarets the lead in the third match and there was no way the Clarets were going to let Scunthorpe come back again. Granville was right, and on this occasion no one had a bad game. Eli and Ron Futcher played together up front as if they had been partners for years and it was Futcher who scored the second with his first Turf Moor goal following his move from Port Vale.

In the second half Futcher again, and then Eli again, made it 4-0 before youngster Jason Hardy scored with what looked like a cross from the left wing. Hardy claimed afterwards that he had meant it but I’m not sure even he believed that.

But it was Burnley’s night and in particular it was Roger Eli’s night. He was never to play anywhere but up front again after these two games, without doubt a star had been born. Eli was to become a big crowd favourite as Burnley finally won promotion from the 4^th division a year later.

Who knows, if Scunthorpe had not gone for Peter Mumby then Eli might never have played up front for us.

The win by the way saw us play Blackpool in the 3^rd round at Bloomfield Road, we were beaten 1-0.

The Burnley in the three games was as follows:

Chris Pearce, Ian Measham, Steve Davis, Andy Farrell, Shaun McGrory, Winston White, John Deary, Joe Jakub, Paul Atkinson, Peter Mumby (Roger Eli in 3^rd game), Ron Futcher.

Subs:

1^st game: Jason Hardy and Roger Eli (not used)

2^nd game: Roger Eli for Peter Mumby (6 mins), Jason Hardy for Paul Atkinson (104 mins)

3^rd game: Jason Hardy for Paul Atkinson (70 mins), Paul McKay (not used).