The run continues

Nicky Platt - good game in midfield

It started brightly for the Clarets, if not for the poor spectators who had to put up with some heavy rain, and we could have been in front in the opening minutes but the goalkeeper saved well from Kyle Lafferty.

We didn’t have to wait long though to go in front and it was another goal from Marc Pugh which he made all for himself as he twisted and turned to beat defenders in the box before hitting home. It was Pughy’s thirteenth goal in the eight games so far this season, he’s failed to score just once.

From that point we really should have taken the game by the scruff of the neck but we missed chances to go further in front, with Kyle guilty of the easier misses, and by half time the lead was still 1-0.

The pattern at the start continued in the second half and when Kyle doubled the lead it looked as though we were on our way to another win, but Walsall had different ideas and pulled one back with a good strike from just inside the box, although it did look to take a deflection.

That gave Walsall a lift and they did put us under some pressure and came close with a ball that hit the bar off defender Tom Blackler. Even so we still looked dangerous on the break, with substitute Ali Akbar showing up well down the right hand side, and twice Pughy came close to putting the game safe but saw one effort go just wide and the other saved by the keeper.

With the Clarets still in front there was one last worrying moment in stoppage time when we were perhaps unfortunate not to concede a penalty. The referee though gave the free kick our way and shortly after the final whistle signalled yet another win.

We did deserve it, overall we were the better side. There were good performances all across the field. Both strikers, despite missing some chances, scored and at the back Tom Blackler followed up his good performance for the reserves with an equally good showing.

But Nicky Platt, captaining the side from midfield, was the driving force behind this win, it was as good a game as I’ve seen him have since joining the Clarets last year, and no matter what has happened elsewhere he has helped keep his team at least three points clear at the top.

The team was: Mark Crossley, Rob Henry, James Overson, Tom Blackler, Paul Casey, Dale Underwood (Ali Akbar), Nicky Platt, Chris McCann, Martin Reilly, Kyle Lafferty, Marc Pugh. Subs not used: Connor Smith, Jay Rodriguez.