A point to take us into Christmas

Last updated : 23 December 2006 By Tony Scholes
Gifton Noel-Williams - Man of the Match despite the missed chance
We were warned about the November and December fixtures, that they would prove to be more difficult, and although the results show we haven't done too well there is no doubt that we have deserved far more than the six points we've collected in the last eight games.

It leaves us in a lower position going into Christmas than last season, just one place lower, although this time round we do have two more points than the 35 we had up to the Watford home game in 2005.

Today was a case of same again. We were playing against the team in second place and a side bang in form, and yet with any luck at all we could easily have come out of the game with all three points. There was no way Derby were better than us, other than in the very early stages and they will be thankful for the point they take home with them that sees them in third place.

Burnley made three changes from the side that had drawn with Sunderland last week. Jon Harley and James O'Connor returned from suspension and that meant Chris McCann, who had deputised at full back for Harley, reverted to midfield in place of the suspended Micah Hyde whilst O'Connor was preferred to Alan Mahon.

There was a reshuffle in defence too with a hip injury keeping out John McGreal. That saw captain Wayne Thomas move into the centre and with Frank Sinclair also ruled out with a calf injury it meant a start for Stephen Foster at right back.

The squad was down to just sixteen players and goalkeeper Brian Jensen was back on the bench following illness, and we were to be thankful for that early in the game.

Derby started the game brightly and were moving the ball well in midfield. They looked a very good side in those early stages with Seth Johnson, one of the overpaid flops from Leeds, dominated in the central area. They were causing us some early problems with some good passing but apart from one shot from distance didn't give us too many anxious moments.

With less than a quarter of an hour gone it looked as though Danny Coyne might be in some trouble, he signalled to the bench and almost immediately Jensen got up and started to warm up. If he was about to come on there didn't appear to be any real urgency and Danny had to get down very quickly to his right to save from Matt Oakley whose effort looked as though it might sneak in at the foot of the post.

That signalled the end of the game for the keeper who was just into his fifth game since returning from a cruciate ligament injury and it was later revealed that he'd felt his hamstring and had come off as a precaution.

Almost immediately came the best chance of the game, it fell our way and Gifton Noel-Williams will wonder just how he didn't give us the lead. Wade Elliott had already threatened with a couple of balls into the box but this one was just about perfect. He got himself down the flank, almost to the line and pulled the ball back for Gifton. It looked odds on the lead but he just tamely headed the ball into the hands of Derby keeper Stephen Bywater.

It led to a period of pressure from the Clarets and Wade seemed to be in the thick of the action more often than not. He was working back and winning the ball, making runs and more than once got excellent balls into the box. We'd half expected him to do well against Derby knowing who he might be up against but even though the Derby number three wasn't playing, Wade was still causing them problems.

Gifton was involved in much of the play too, he was at his best holding the ball up and bringing others into play but I'm sure he was still thinking of that chance when the half time whistle blew with the scores level.

We more than deserved to be level at half time, I felt we'd just about had the upper hand after the first quarter of an hour. And if we did in the first half, then we certainly did in the second when at times we dominated the division's form team.

Chances though were at a premium and probably the best of them came after Gifton linked with Wayne Thomas down the right hand side. I'm not sure what a centre half was doing on the right wing but having got clear he got in a good cross but McCann couldn't quite turn it in.

As Burnley pushed for a winner the crowd got agitated with some very strange refereeing decisions. Pike, for much of the game had been OK, probably because he tries to go through the game at times without making decisions. Fouls go unpunished and it is no surprise he doesn't get his cards out very often.

He upset the Longside with some bizarre refereeing. On a number of occasions with his assistant about to flag decisions our way he was clearly instructing him to flag the other way. I'm yet to see the point of having assistants if they are not allowed to make decisions.

There's no doubt that Pike had a difficult period during the second half and it was during this period that Burnley went up for a penalty for handball. From my vantage point it wasn't possible to see, but fans at the Jimmy Mac end of the ground went up with Kyle and Gifton who both remonstrated with the official. Still that was nothing to the problems he had with Derby players who surrounded him when he managed to keep a ball in play for us.

Derby made substitutions, Steve Cotterill this week chose not to change the side during the second half, but the game faded away in the end to a goalless draw. I felt we'd probably done enough to win it, but we didn't create too many clear cut chances. Mind you, I don't recall Derby creating anything at all after the early Coyne save and I'm not sure Jensen was ever called into serious action.

As for Derby, they did well what a Billy Davies side do well, they whinged, the centre forward went down just as soon as he was looked at, and then they whinged again. Nothing changes from the little man.

Man of the match today for me was a difficult choice. There were good performances in all departments. The two central defenders had good games, the two forwards did as did Wade Elliott who is a much improved player this season. It was difficult, but despite his miss I really wanted to give it to Gifton. I thought his overall performance this afternoon was excellent. So he gets it, but make it easy for me next time Gifton and don't miss the chance.

Played eight, won one, drawn three, lost four. It doesn't sound too good does it? But our recent form is far better than that run of results and it won't be long before we start turning our good play into results again.

We've just got to get through the transfer window this year without having to sell anyone and I think we could be in for an enjoyable ride on this Claret & Blue roller coaster in the first few months of 2007.

The teams were;

Burnley: Danny Coyne (Brian Jensen 18), Stephen Foster, Michael Duff, Wayne Thomas, Jon Harley, Wade Elliott, James O'Connor, Chris McCann, Steve Jones, Gifton Noel-Williams, Kyle Lafferty. Subs not used: Alan Mahon, Garreth O'Connor, John Spicer, Graham Branch.

Derby: Stephen Bywater, Richard Jackson, Darren Moore, Dean Leacock, Paul Boertien, David Jones, Matt Oakley (Morten Bisgaard 72), Seth Johnson, Giles Barnes (Michael Johnson 88), Jon Stead (Arturo Lupoli 86), Steve Howard. Subs not used: Bob Malcolm, Mo Camara.

Referee: Mike Pike (Cumbria).

Attendance: 12,825.