Free kicks win it for Clarets

Last updated : 18 October 2008 By Tony Scholes
Alex-Ray Harvey - scored the first goal
Somehow the weather always gets a mention down there and today were the first sign of things to come with a distinct drop in temperature, some rain (the fine stuff that wets you through) and the game was played in front of a superb backdrop of colour from the trees with the summer well and truly behind us.

This was a game we were expected to win and probably win well but things don't always happen like that. We started with Wes Fletcher, James Craggs and Michael King, who had all featured in the reserves in midweek, on the bench and that meant Liam Newman and Dominic Knowles started up front.

It was a slow sort of start and we didn't dominate the ball in the way we have in so many games this season. It was almost as if they thought it was too easy and the goals would just come. They didn't and at times we were over hitting the passes as we failed to come to terms with the win behind our backs.

Even defensively there were a couple of shaky moments, and Accrington did come close on one occasion. But eventually we started to get into a game that was too stop/start because of an over fussy referee who looked as though he was enjoying the limelight.

But it was two free kick awards from the said referee that turned the game our way and put it out of the reach of Accrington, and no one could have a quibble with either of them. He gave us a free kick for a foul on Alex-Ray Harvey after the midfielder made a run from deep.

It was about 25 yards out and Harvey took it himself and planted it into the bottom corner of the net to the goalkeeper's right. He'd no chance of keeping it out and he'd no chance either when we doubled the lead shortly afterwards even though he made his own contribution to the goal.

He'd gathered the ball, bounced it a couple of times before deciding to drop it to the ground and kick up field. He had a change of mind and picked it up and it was spotted immediately by the alert official. Dil Chaggar rolled the indirect free kick for Chris Anderson who hammered it home into the top corner.

Two up at half time and we now just needed to up our game in the second half. We did and to be fair Accrington never got a look in as we totally dominated proceedings. But somehow that second goal just wouldn't come.

We almost got on the end of through balls, we got the ball wide but couldn't convert the crosses and Craggs, on as a substitute was unfortunate to hit both post and bar with two separate efforts.

But we had to settle for 2-0 in the end, to make it nine wins out of nine this season and ready for a trip to Morecambe next week.

The team was; Danny McDonald, Dan Brown, Nik Kudiersky, Chris Lynch, Jake McEneaney, Oliver Devenney (James Craggs), Chris Anderson, Alex-Ray Harvey, Dil Chaggar, Dominic Knowles (Joe Jackson), Liam Newman (Wes Fletcher). Sub not used: Michael King.