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With no sign of the drama to come, it all started well for us and we looked all set for a third successive win to start the season. Alex MacDonald, playing in a central role alongside Fletcher, scored from close range after a Fletcher run and shot had been blocked on the line.
That was in only the second minute, and ten minutes later we doubled the lead when Fletcher pounced on a defensive mistake to hit home from just outside the box.
At that point in the game it looked as though we might just be a case of how many we'd get, but on twenty minutes it all changed when referee Handley pointed to the spot. To say it looked a poor decision was something of an understatement, but it was worsened when he held his red card aloft at Kevin Long who was captain on the night.
Steve Connor smashed the resulting spot kick against the post and the Clarets re-organised with Brian Easton going into the centre, Michael King dropping to left back and MacDonald going on the left hand side in a 4-4-1 formation.
In truth, it didn't seem to hinder us too much and for most of the remainder of the first half you wouldn't have noticed we were a man short, but it all changed in a dramatic six second half minutes.
Easton was withdrawn at half time with Ed Williams coming on and just ten minutes into the second half the referee was at it again, pointing to the spot. This time it was against Chris Lynch and it did look as though the defender had played the ball.
Still, penalty it was and this time Dale Jennings stepped up and made no mistake. Within a minute Tranmere were level through Jack Mackreth and five minutes after that went 3-2 up when Jennings got his second. Both were poor goals from our point of view in what was a bizarre spell that no one could have envisaged, but from two goals up we were now looking at a potential first defeat of the season.
To their credit, the Clarets kept going and created some opportunities. Fletcher got through once but couldn't quite get a shot in, and when he went through again he was, shall we say, somewhat unhappy when no penalty was given as he was brought down in the box.
Michael King saw a good effort saved and Anderson got in a header. He headed it down but it bounced onto the bar. It looked as though we weren't going to get that equaliser, then, with four minutes remaining it came.
We got the ball into the box and Dominic Knowles got a shot in. That was blocked and there was Anderson to hit home from close range.
We'd have won this by some margin but for the red card, of that I'm sure, and it is still difficult to believe we didn't get a win. But credit to the lads for keeping going against the odds and the penalty decisions to get that much deserved point.
The teams were;
Tranmere: Joe Collister, Tim Cathalina, Zoumana Bakayogo, Will Vaulks, Nick Wood, Max Power, Jack Mackreth, Liam Benson, Steve Connor (Ellis Appleton 73), Ryan Fraughan, Dale Jennings (Cole Stockton 67). Subs not used: Jake Kirby, Andy Coughlin, Ellis Healing, Steve Wainright.
Burnley: Ben Woodhead, Richard Eckersley, Chris Lynch, Kevin Long, Brian Easton (Ed Williams 45), Dominic Knowles, Chris Anderson, Alex-Ray Harvey, Michael King, Alex MacDonald (Ross Wilson 85), Wes Fletcher (Joe Jackson 88). Subs not used: Craig Mawson, Dave Lynch, Joe McKee, Tommy Taylor.