|
In the end I didn't change my mind, and I'm pleased I didn't after seeing an excellent show of football from the Clarets that was well worth watching. Yes, we had to come from behind and yes, the winner came late, but we played some really good football.
We'd been promised a team of youth and experience and that's what we got, although the experience was slightly less so than a week earlier with no sign of either manager or first team coach on the pitch.
We dominated proceedings from the start but in a rare moment of poor play we conceded a goal far too easily with Chris Shuker, returning for Tranmere after injury, setting up Terry Gornell who slipped the ball past Brian Jensen.
We continued to play our football and it was Michael Duff who scored our equaliser. Playing his third reserve team game as he builds up his fitness he won't be putting this one in his portfolio of great finishes. He poked the ball towards goal from close in and it was something of a surprise that no one got a touch to it and goalkeeper John Achterberg looked horrified as it crossed the line.
There's no doubt we deserved that equaliser and it took us into the half time break level at 1-1. The break also allowed the spectators a break from the biting cold as we were all invited into an executive lounge to sample the coffee - at, I hasten to add, £1 per cup. Still it was better stuff than the dishwater at Accrington.
We continued to take the game to Tranmere after the interval and you had to have some sympathy for Brian Jensen in goal. He was underemployed for most of the time and it was not the best of nights to be stood out there in the cold.
There really was some attractive football being played through the midfield with John Spicer and Mark Randall playing in front of Adam Kay with Alex MacDonald and Alex-Ray Harvey in the wide positions. And when James Craggs replaced Randall, if anything, we stepped up the game even further.
A winner would surely come, and it did courtesy of another Alex MacDonald goal just a few minutes from the end, and it should have been 3-1 soon after but Wes Fletcher, usually so reliable in front of goal, put a shot wide of goal.
There was much to admire about this performance in what was my first visit to Prenton Park since Payts scored the late winner. I'm already looking forward to next week's game at home to Chester.
The teams were;
Tranmere: John Achterberg, Danny Holmes, Ryan Mitchell, Ash Taylor, Aaron Cresswell, Chris Shuker, Danny Moran, Mike Jones (Louis Corrigan), Ryan Fraughan (Luke Denson), Terry Gornell, Craig Curran (Josh Macauley). Subs not used: Shane McWeeney, Gerwyn Jones.
Burnley: Brian Jensen, Ben Hoskin (Dean Stott), Michael Duff, David Unsworth (Chris Lynch), Stephen Jordan, Alex MacDonald, John Spicer, Adam Kay, Mark Randall (James Craggs), Alex-Ray Harvey, Wes Fletcher. Subs not used: Stef Ritchie, Thomas Bradley.