The Interlink Stadium was packed with something in the region of 50 spectators gathered for the big game, a massive snub to 
It was match that we probably should have won having had much of the play but we found Dale’s seventeen year old goalkeeper Danny Woodall in good form and he made at least three outstanding saves to keeper the Clarets out.
The young and inexperienced Clarets, who could name just five first team substitute appearances between them, were up against a much more experienced
You would hardly have noticed and the Clarets had far more of the game than
Apart from the chances that went begging and the saves there were also at least a couple of efforts cleared off the line.
Not as though it was one way traffic and more than once we were thankful for Michael Hale saves but he could do nothing about the winner ten minutes from the end when Leighton McGivern cut inside on the left to hit his shot into the bottom corner.
At the other end both Chris McCann and Marc Pugh were denied by excellent saves whilst the keeper also blocked efforts from Tom Ince and Kyle Lafferty.
It wasn’t a game we should have lost but it ended 1-0 and the big crowd, apart from the
The teams were,
Burnley: Michael Hale, Joel Pilkington, Neal Trotman, Ryan Townsend, Paul Scott, Marc Pugh, Joe Booth (Nicky Platt), Chris McCann, Tom Ince (Martin Reilly), Kyle Lafferty, Cayne Hanley. Subs not used: Mark Crossley,
Rochdale: Danny Woodall, Jamie Clarke, Gary Brown, Neil Brisco, Kevin Gibbins, Greg Heald, Ben Kitchen (Michael Murray), Ernie Cooksey, Paul Tait, Matt Williams, Leighton McGivern. Subs not used: Nick Allen, James McDonagh, Denis Greenwood, Clive Moyomodise.