We could have really silenced those chimes

Last updated : 02 April 2002 By Tony Scholes

David Johnson - scored his fourth in five games for the Clarets
I shouldn't be having a go at Barnsley, after all they did beat Preston this afternoon, but had they beaten Portsmouth on the last day of last season then we would have had the reasonably short trip to Huddersfield today.

Things haven't changed much at Fratton Park. The away supporters are still given inadequate seating with inadequate refreshment and toilet facilities. It is so difficult to believe that a club who boast about being a big club can provide paying customers with such appalling conditions. At least it wasn't cold this year though and, more importantly, it didn't rain.

We were soon to learn that Stan had made two changes with Paul Gascoigne and Gareth Taylor dropped to the bench with Tony Grant and Ian Moore coming in and both changes were greeted with great approval from the open seating.

There was still no keeper on the bench and by the time we had finished this afternoon we weren't so sure whether there had been one on the pitch either such was Nik's performance.

We started well against a less than impressive Portsmouth side who were playing their first home game under new manager Harry Redknapp. It is difficult for me to comment on the early exchanges so bad was my view with my £15 ticket affording me a position very close the corner flag. It was improved during the first half with a move to an empty seat further back.

There was no doubt we started the better and it was no surprise when we went in front and it was no surprise either that David Johnson scored the goal. He had given the Pompey defence a difficult start and the goal was great relief to the Clarets fans as apart from giving us the lead managed to quieten the band and the chimes. Johnson became the first Burnley player to score at Fratton Park since Andy Wharton got the winner there in a 21- win in 1981.

Portsmouth were looked pretty ragged but had a player of quality in their side. He had a nightmare at Burnley in November but today it as evident just how good a player Robert Prosinecki is. No one man can win a game though and his promptings came to nothing.

He did come closest to scoring for the home side in the first half when he hit a free kick from some 25 yards against the post. Nik in goal did what the fans did at this point and stood and watched. It was a frightening piece of goalkeeping.

In front at half time it really did look as though away win number eleven was on the cards, we were better than Portsmouth by some distance and could certainly have been further in front than just that one goal.

But as the Wembley play off song said, ‘We are Burnley' and we are more than capable of turning things against us. We allowed Portsmouth back into it by defending deeper and allowing them the possession, allowing them to dictate the game and take it to us. We were looking a different side altogether than the one that had dominated the first half.

Then came the substitutions. Firstly Gordon Armstrong replaced Tony Grant in the midfield and before we had time to settle with that change Ian Moore was replaced by Glen Little and we went with five in midfield. All this seemed to do was allow Portsmouth even more opportunities to come forward and with us defending the far end the Clarets fans were seeing little of the action.

Nik Michopoulos - badly at fault with Portsmouth goal
With about twenty five minutes to go there was suddenly spontaneous applause from the far corner of the ground and it transpired that the home fans were acknowledging out best known sub warming up. Two minutes later and Gazza was on, for Weller, and received a standing ovation from all four sides of the ground.

Before he had even touched the ball though the inevitable happened and we conceded a goal. We were easily opened up but serious questions have to be asked about the efforts of Michopoulos. His team mates looked stunned as he made a less than half hearted attempt to get to the ball and Todorov took advantage to slide it into the empty net. Stan was up remonstrating with his keeper from the touchline letting him know in no uncertain terms that he had let the side down. It is unlikely thought that he will be able to banish him in the same way he did Luigi Cennamo with no other keeper available.

This was really a must win game and suddenly the best of results looked the most unlikely. There were 75 minutes on the clock and we had not had a single shot at goal in the second half. We changed completely and started trying to take the game to Portsmouth again and finally we had the home defence on the back foot again.

David Johnson came nearest with a header wide that he should have done better with, Alan Moore was unlucky when he almost got a rebound from some old chap in their goal called Beasant. Twice Glen had great opportunities on the right but both times wasted them with poor balls in.

But once we decide to go forwards again Portsmouth weren't in the game. What a shame we couldn't try to take the game to them for ninety minutes. The negative attitude in the second half cost us, the substitutions did nothing to get us back in the ascendancy.

Points are points away from home but at the end of the day, and on a day when other results went well, this was a game we could and should have won. I just hope it won't be a costly two points lost in three weeks time.

My man of the match award has to go to David Johnson. His infectious style has once again made us look like a side that might score goals and his today was his fourth in five games. I don't know when a Burnley player last scored in four of his first five games.

Finally the referee and I always thought I wouldn't have much to say about him today, he couldn't possibly have as much impact as Barry Knight did on Saturday. In fact he did, he turned in an excellent performance. He always looked to keep the game going, always wanted to play and advantage if there was one and got on with the job in an unfussy way. There were no yellow cards, like Paul Durkin at the Preston game he didn't need to wave cards to control the game. Well done Mr. Tomlin.

The poor run of results continues and it does look as though we are going to stumble rather than march into the play offs, that is if we make them at all. It is getting very tight now and we really do have to start finding some way of winning games again.

The teams were,

Portsmouth: Dave Beasant, Scott Hiley (Stefani Miglioranzi 56), Scott Wilson (Courtney Pitt 73), Lewis Buxton, Jamie Vincent, Gary O'Neil (Leonardo Biagini 56), Robert Prosinecki, Nigel Quashie, Mark Summerbell, Svetoslav Todorov, Kevin Harper. Subs not used: Yoshi Kawaguchi, Garry Brady.

Burnley: Nik Michopoulos, Dean West, Mitchell Thomas, Arthur Gnohere, Lee Briscoe, Paul Weller (Paul Gascoigne 68), Kevin Ball, Tony Grant (Gordon Armstrong 51), Alan Moore, Ian Moore (Glen Little 56), David Johnson. Subs not used: Paul Cook, Gareth Taylor.

Referee: Steve Tomlin (Lewes, East Sussex)