Next Game – Sheffield Wednesday (away)

Paul McLaren

They have paid the penalty of losing their Premiership status and this being their third year in the Nationwide League they cannot rely on the parachute payment any longer. They have taken drastic measures to try and balance the books and the squad has been heavily changed and cut and they also sold the training ground.

Over recent seasons there have been constant changes in management but current boss Terry Yorath will have been in charge for a year in two week’s time since he replaced Peter Shreeves. He was initially in charge on a caretaker basis but eventually got the job permanently.

The changeover had an initial impact last season and Wednesday improved although by the end of the season they only avoided the drop into the 3^rd Division by one point and a number of players were released at the end of the season.

With little money available to him Yorath did bring in some new faces before the start of the season and they included Chelsea’s Leon Knight who has joined on loan for the season. Another striker made the move to Hillsborough, Brentford’s Lloyd Owusu signing on a Bosman transfer. Others to sign were Huddersfield’s goalkeeper Paul Evans and defender Jon Beswetherick from Plymouth.

Just over a month ago they won the Sheffield derby at Hillsborough 2-0 with goals from Owusu and former Burnley target Shefki Kuqi but it was an undeserved win in a game where the Blades should have run out as comfortable winners. Wednesday need to be thankful though, to date it is their only victory in eleven league games.

Shefki Kuqi

Last Saturday they lost 1-0 at Walsall in a game where they were second best for the entire first half. They came back after half time though and should have picked up a point when Owusu missed a sitter from point blank range. He failed to even make contact with the ball.

The team for that game was: Kevin Pressman, Derek Geary, Leigh Bromby, Danny Maddix, David Burrows (Ashley Westwood 89), Matthew Hamshaw (Leon Knight 45), Paul McLaren, Alan Quinn, Craig Armstrong (Simon Donnolly 67), Shefki Kuqi, Lloyd Owusu.

They have scored ten goals in their eleven league games and four of those have come from Kuqi. They haven’t scored in any of their last three league games.

Only once have they been beaten at home and that was in their other local derby against Rotherham United. On that occasion former Burnley loan player Craig Armstrong scored their goal and Alan Lee netted Rotherham’s first from the penalty spot as they won 2-1.

Click HERE for all Sheffield Wednesday’s results this season.

He played for both

He was an elegant centre half and joined the Clarets as a youngster from Glentoran where he was an amateur. Within two years he had made his first team debut and what a match to choose. It was Spurs on the Turf in April 1964 and the Clarets, with Todd at right-back on that occasion, ripped them apart to win 7-2.

Over the next six years he was in and out of the side and was always competing for a place alongside some top players. It was Brian Miller in his early days and by the end of his time at Burnley we had both Colin Waldron and Jim Thomson.

Todd was the first Burnley player ever to come on as a substitute with a number on his back. He replaced Brian Miller at Villa Park in 1967 in what proved to be Miller’s last game. He wore the number 12 but prior to that Burnley’s substitute had always worn a blank shirt.

In the summer of 1970 he moved across the Pennines to join Sheffield Wednesday for a fee of £40,000. It might not have been a big fee but at the time it was more than the Clarets had ever paid for a player. He ha played 116 league games for the Clarets.

He was an Owl for four years but only played 24 league games for Wednesday and in his last season made six appearances for Mansfield Town on loan.

Todd might not have ever been a regular at Burnley but he certainly never let us down and was very much an important member of the squad.

Click HERE for a complete list of past games between Burnley and Sheffield Wednesday since the first meeting in 1925.

Last Time in the League

Sheffield Wednesday 0 Burnley 2 (Taylor Cook(pen)) – Nationwide League Division 1, Sunday 12^th August 2001.

It was the second match to be shown on the new channel, Man City v Watford had been screened the previous evening, but this was the first match to have to compete with Songs of Praise.

For Clarets’ fans there was no competition and the hymn books were put away as we got the season off to the best possible start – an away win, and a comfortable away win at that.

We had taken to the field with not one new player in the starting eleven for the first time in twenty years although four of the five subs were new signings. The start wasn’t good and Wednesday had the ball in the net but it was disallowed for a foul.

As the first half progressed we got more and more into the game and by half time we were very much on top, a taster of what was to come. The second half was all Burnley and it was no surprise when we eventually took the lead and what a good goal it was. A move down the left saw Glen Little play the ball out to Gordon Armstrong, playing at left-back. Stretch crossed and Gareth Taylor, making his first appearance as a permanent Burnley player, headed in powerfully for what was to be the goal of the month.

The second was somewhat controversial. Burnley were awarded a penalty when Gerald Sibon fouled Glen Little. There was no argument about that but there was when Chris Stringer saved Paul Cook’s spot kick and referee Dowd ordered a retake because of encroachment.

Cooky made no mistake the second time and this seemed to give some so called Sheffield Wednesday fans the idea that they could run on the pitch and attack him. Burnley’s black belt Stan went to the rescue and order was quickly restored.

There was no way the home side were coming back and we were now well on top and if anything we could have added a third. It was a good start to the season, an away win always is, and an excellent performance too after the first few shaky minutes.

We didn’t know just how good the start was going to be.

The teams were:

Sheffield Wednesday: Chris Stringer, Leigh Bromby, Danny Maddix, Ian Hendon (Aaron Lescott 75), Derek Geary, Steven Haslam, Paul McLaren (Owen Morrison 60), Trond-Egil Soltvedt, Alan Quinn (Michele di Piedi 60), Gerald Sibon, Efan Ekoku. Subs not used: Kevin Pressman, Ashley Westwood.

Burnley: Nik Michopoulos, Dean West, Steve Davis, Ian Cox, Gordon Armstrong, Glen Little, Paul Weller (Alan Moore 67), Paul Cook, Lee Briscoe, Gareth Taylor (Tony Ellis 87), Ian Moore (Andy Payton 90). Subs not used: Luigi Cennamo, Arthur Gnohere.

Referee: Mr. P. Dowd.