Lacklustre Lilywhites brushed aside by the Clarets

Last updated : 10 November 2013 By Andy Ashworth

Following on from the 2-2 draw away at Carlisle last week we returned home to Gawthorpe looking to try and build up a nice little unbeaten run with a FAYC tie at home to Man Utd on the not-too-distant horizon. We saw the usual rotation in the team, with only Ntumba Massanka up front and the centre half pairing of captain Alex Whitmore and birthday boy Callum Richardson apparently guaranteed starts this season.

Evan Galvin opened the scoring

We were on the front foot from the off and PNE hardly got a sniff all afternoon. We had early chances for Evan Galvin, playing just off front man Massanka. First he flashed a shot wide across goal when he opened his body too much and then he took a weak shot from the edge of the box that the keeper easily gathered. Eventually though the little Irishman got his goal when just after the quarter hour mark Massanka was fed into feet high up the pitch, then controlled and turned, sliding a perfect ball through the static defence an into the path of the galloping Galvin. He drew the keeper and slid it past him into the back of the net.

For the remainder of the half we didn’t really create any more clear cut chances. Preston came a little more into it but we stifled any threat they looked to offer and it was expected the ref would call an end to proceedings with the score 1-0. Though that was the case it certainly wasn’t without controversy. We won a free kick around 10 yards inside our own half. PNE disputed it and the guilty party was booked for constantly haranguing the ref. Tensions were getting up and when we took the free kick – a beautifully hit long ball that released Massanka 1-on-1 with the keeper there was only one possible outcome. The ref had other ideas though and decided to blow his whistle for half time prompting howls of derision from the Burnley players, the bench and the sidelines. It fired us up though and in the 2nd half we twisted the knife and cruised home.

We attacked from the off and Brad Jackson forced a fine save from the PNE keeper when he thrust a hand up to keep out a stabbed effort flashing high to his right. The resulting corner was met by the head of Richardson and looked for all the world to have looped in to the top corner but it somehow missed the target. We didn’t let up and a jinking run by Christian Hill was abruptly and illegally stopped. The free kick was 25-30 yards from goal and more towards the left and it was Nathan Lowe that stood over it. The keeper set his wall but the classy midfielder's execution was inch perfect, getting up and over, and finding the back of the net.

Shortly after came a couple of chances for the visitors, with a shot dragged wide and a free header nodded the wrong side of the post. It prompted a change from Pash on the bench around the hour mark, as Luke Daly replaced Lowe.

We nearly saw our lead extended with some good football again being played on the right. Jackson and Waqas Azam combined and the little right back slipped it through for Massanka, who saw his shot from the angle kept out by a mixture of the keeper and the post. Minutes later Azam decided to go it alone, cutting in from the wing and across the face of the box. He lost his man, creating space, and hit a left footed effort low over the ground and in off the foot of the post.

With the score at 3-0 Pash made more changes with Massanka leaving the pitch for Khius Metz and Kevin Ly replacing fellow Aussie Brandon Wilson. Schoolboy Metz showed a precocious edge in attempting a Pele-like exaggerated dummy on a through ball, but was unfortunate that the keeper managed to just get a little toe on it, preventing him the chance to run on into an empty net. The 4th wasn’t long in coming though and it was Hill on the left wing who streaked past his man to the by line and clipped it over for Jackson to nod in from close range.

Unfortunately I can’t tell you much more about the last 15 mins of the game as when Azam attempted and failed to keep a wayward pass in play, the PNE winger near him decided that instead of picking the ball up and taking a throw in, it made more sense to hammer it into the spectators. Unfortunately for me he caught it quite well and from 2 yards beamed it full into my face. I had to watch the rest of the game while packing stuff into my nose to stem the flow of blood so wasn’t able to make any more notes. Let’s be honest though, it’s not a problem shedding blood for the Clarets, eh?

Team:- Callum Jakovlevs, Waqas Azam, Charlie Holt, Alex Whitmore, Callum Richardson, Nathan Lowe (Luke Daly), Brandon Wilson (Kevin Ly), Christian Hill, Brad Jackson, Evan Galvin, Ntumba Massanka (Khius Metz).
Subs not used:- Conor Mitchell, Lewis Nuttall