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Owen Coyle had collected the September manager of the month award just before going to Reading at the beginning of this month, so it was perhaps no surprise that we fell to defeat. The good new is that we've now gone another three games unbeaten since then with two of them away from home.
The last time we beat Reading was in the 2003/04 season when we won 3-0 at home, in fact our last three wins against them have all been at home and by a 3-0 scoreline, the other two coming in two promotion seasons of 1981/82 and 1999/2000.
Since our last meeting Reading have also played three games. They've won and drawn at home but were beaten at Preston a week last Saturday. Having gone in front they paid the price for two poor errors by goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann.
Coppell has added to his squad today with the signing of 18-year-old Michael Antonio from Tooting & Micham United. He's not expected to be involved this evening.
Reading have no new injury problems although they are still without both Michael Duberry and Graeme Murty who are out with calf injuries.
They are expected to stick to the same team that picked up a point from a 0-0 draw at home to QPE on Saturday, the first points they've dropped at home this season.
f so they will line up: Marcus Hahnemann, Liam Rosenior, Ivar Ingimarsson, Andre Bikey, Chris Armstrong, Jimmy Kebe, Brynjar Gunnarsson, Jem Karacan, Stephen Hunt, Kevin Doyle, Noel Hunt. Subs: Mikkel Andersen, Julian Kelly, Kalifa Cisse, James Harper, Shane Long.
Owen Coyle will be awaiting news on central defenders Clarke Carlisle and Steven Caldwell who are both rated very doubtful with hamstring and hip injuries respectively. Other than that it looks as though everyone is fit. If both come through then I think it will be the team that started at Charlton, with Stephen Jordan likely to come in if either are injured. I'm not even contemplating the situation should both miss out.
If they do both play the Burnley team will be: Brian Jensen, Michael Duff, Clarke Carlisle, Steven Caldwell, Christian Kalvenes, Graham Alexander, Wade Elliott, Joey Gudjonsson, Chris McCann, Steven Thompson, Martin Paterson. Subs from: Diego Penny, Stephen Jordan, Remco van der Schaaf, Kevin McDonald, Alan Mahon, Chris Eagles, Robbie Blake, Jay Rodriguez.
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Trying to find two strikers proved to be the most difficult task. Gifton Noel-Williams was injured whilst Michael Ricketts was taken ill, and potential stand in Graham Branch was also ruled out with injury.
Steve Cotterill had recalled youngster Kyle Lafferty from a loan spell at Darlington and he was pushed into action for his first start in the first team, and asked to partner Michael Duff up front. Yes, I did get that one right, Michael Duff.
Cotterill had said a week earlier that we might have to play Duff in a different position, but I don't think anyone imagined it would be up front.
In truth we were never in the game, and it was just a matter of how many goals Reading got. In the end they scored three times through and Bobbt Convey and two current Stoke players Ibrahima Sonko and Dave Kitson.
For Burnley, it was a fourth successive defeat for the first time since December 2003, and it was also the heaviest home defeat since earlier in that 2003/04 season. It proved to be the heaviest home defeat in the Cotterill period at Burnley.
I suppose that's what happens when you sell your only real striker in January as we had done once more.
The teams were;
Burnley: Brian Jensen, Frank Sinclair, Wayne Thomas, John McGreal, Jon Harley, John Spicer (Wade Elliott 57), James O'Connor, Micah Hyde, Chris McCann, Michael Duff, Kyle Lafferty. Subs not used: Mark Crossley, Duane Courtney, Danny Karbassiyoon, Garreth O'Connor.
Reading: Marcus Hahnemann, Graeme Murty, Ibrahima Sonko, Ivar Ingimarsson, Nicky Shorey, John Oster (Glen Little 52, Steve Hunt 83), Brynjar Gunnarsson, James Harper, Bobby Convey, Leroy Lita (Dave Kitson 40), Kevin Doyle. Subs not used: Graham Stack, Chris Makin.
Previous 20 Seasons | |||||
Season | Div | Ven | Result | Att | Scorers |
1992/93 | 2 | h | 1-1 | 8,382 | Harper |
| . | . | a | 0-1 | 6,398 | . |
1993/94 | 2 | a | 1-2 | 5,855 | Eyres(pen) |
| . | . | h | 0-1 | 11,650 | . |
1994/95 | 1 | a | 0-0 | 8,150 | . |
| . | . | h | 1-2 | 9,841 | Parkinson |
1998/99 | 2 | a | 1-1 | 10,080 | Payton |
| . | . | h | 1-1 | 9,366 | Reid |
1999/2000 | 2 | a | 0-0 | 6,149 | . |
| . | . | h | 3-0 | 14,436 | Davis Payton Wright |
2002/03 | 1 | a | 0-3 | 12,009 | . |
| . | . | h | 2-5 | 14,420 | I Moore West |
2003/04 | 1 | h | 3-0 | 9,473 | Blake Chaplow Chadwick |
| . | . | a | 2-2 | 10,543 | I Moore May |
2004/05 | C | a | 0-0 | 15,400 | . |
| . | . | h | 0-0 | 11,392 | . |
2005/06 | C | a | 1-2 | 14,027 | Akinbiyi |
| . | . | h | 0-3 | 12,888 | . |
2006/07 | FAC | a | 2-3 | 11,514 | Akinbiyi G O'Connor |
2008/09 | C | a | 1-3 | 18,621 | McCann |