Clarets win with Pride at Derby

Last updated : 17 September 2013 By Tony Scholes
Another goal for Sam Vokes in his best performance yet for Burnley

Goals from front pair Danny Ings and Sam Vokes, and a third from Jason Shackell, ensured the points returned to Turf Moor despite the heroic efforts of appalling referee Andy Madley to turn things in favour of the home side.

His leaning towards the home side was disgraceful and that culminated in the worst penalty award I've ever seen in all my years watching and trying to play the game. It came at 2-0 but thankfully Tom Heaton saved well to keep the two goal lead and allow us to go on and win this one comfortably.

Yesterday morning I received a text message from a fellow Claret. "Do you think we might get something today?" it read. My replay was: "I think we might get something." It was based to a large extent on our current run of results at Pride Park. Sean Dyche might not think it counts for anything but I do and it did give me some confidence ahead of the trip.

The trouble free journey, apart from one idiot to our right queuing for road works, saw us arrive at the ground just over an hour before kick off. The home fans were confident; they've been playing very well apparently and Burnley were going to offer little threat to them.

The team news came through and it brought no real surprises. Dyche had said Heaton would return after serving his suspension; Dean Marney also came back in after being used as a substitute in the cup win against Preston and both Michael Duff and Ben Mee, who returned from injury in that cup game, both started at the expense of Kevin Long and Danny Lafferty.

We were situated in the South Stand where the stewards, and at Derby they've always previously been the best, decided to squeeze us into one small area in the corner to keep the larger block as, according to them, a 'sterile area'. When they realised that wasn't going to work, they finally opened up the bigger area to the latecomers.

Right in front of us at kick off was Heaton and I quickly mentioned that the three wins there in the previous three seasons had all come with us defending that end in the first half. Another good omen.

Derby looked to get on the front foot from the off. It lasted only a few minutes and during it they didn't put us under any sort of pressure. It wasn't long before we began to take control of proceedings and we did make it count.

Ings, who is playing with such confidence right now, aimed an audacious effort at goal to try and beat ex-Claret Lee Grant. The returning Derby goalkeeper had cleared the ball; Marney headed it back forward for Ings who volleyed brilliantly as Grant scampered back. He wasn't getting there and was relieved to see the ball just miss target.

He didn't have too long to wait to see Ings again and this time it did count, and what a goal it was. Again Marney was involved, flicking the ball clear from the edge of our box. It found Keith Treacy who brilliantly flicked the ball forward for Ings.

From my seat I was totally unaware that Ings was still inside his own half of the pitch, and that fact makes this goal even better. He moved forward, beat Craig Forsyth on the edge of the box before sliding the ball across Grant and into the net.

A goal up and a brilliant goal too. All goals are good goals but this one was very special, from the Treacy flick to the superb run and finish from Ings, not forgetting the run from Vokes that took defenders away, but more on Vokes later.

Yes, all goals are good goals, and the second one, which came just past the half hour was every bit as important as the first. Marney, by then, had already forced Grant into another save but the goalkeeper was perhaps left a little bit embarrassed by this one.

Marney it was again who played the ball out to Kieran Trippier on the right. Tripps had the option of using Treacy but instead hit a deep cross to the far post. Grant left his defenders to deal with it, specifically Kieron Freeman who headed it back across the six yard box.

Will Hughes got there to clear but only succeeded in hitting it into Vokes' face and it cannoned into the net past the helpless Grant.

Vokes has found a niche this season for being hit with the ball and seeing it go into the net. His backside has got him goals at Cork, in the friendly, and in the home win against Yeovil two weeks ago and now this.

Treacy joked about him making a career of it after the Yeovil goal but no matter how the ball went in yesterday there has never been a more deserving goal. I don't think I've ever seen Vokes turn in a better performance for Burnley. Dyche described his performance as awesome and I think anyone would find it difficult to disagree with that.

So two goals up, both strikers on the scoresheet, it was just about perfect.

Derby did try and get themselves back into the game. They had a spell of five or six minutes where they retained possession well but frankly offered little with it, and when they did finally get a sniff at goal it was down to some very good fortune as they benefited from a couple of deflections.

They missed a chance, right on half time through Chris Martin and so we went in with a 2-0 lead and a richly deserved 2-0 lead.

Derby hooked off Freeman at the break. I'm sure Nigel Clough was far from happy with his performance but he's refrained from outing him Paolo Di Canio style.

They should probably have pulled a goal back early in the second half when a poor Trippier back header let in Johnny Russell. He opted to go for the near post and hit his shot the wrong side of it.

A ridiculous penalty given against him but the former Ram Shackell scored our third

Russell's next chance was the chance of the match, but it was all down to the incredible penalty decision. The ball came in from the Derby left but Shackell was first there to clear before a Derby player went over him.

Now I accept I was probably close to 150 yards away from the incident but it looked obvious to me what had happened. So how do you explain Madley's decision to point to the spot? There is no explanation. Madley cannot possibly have seen a foul.

Dyche went ranting at the fourth official but most significant was the close up pictures on the big screen. The Burnley players looked absolutely stunned. Not one on that picture could believe it either.

There were just 62 minutes gone when Madley pointed to the spot and a minute or so later Russell stepped up to take the penalty, a penalty that could completely change the match. A Derby goal would reduce our lead to one goal, would lift their confidence and might lead to a difficult half an hour for us.

Thankfully we'd no need to find out. Heaton went to his left to save the penalty. It rebounded and fittingly it was Shackell who hooked it clear. I didn't know at the time but this was the fifth penalty Derby had missed out of their last six.

At this point we decided to just go and get the game won and we were treated to a Treacy master class. He twice got in superb balls into the box, he produced the pass of the season so far, playing in Marney with an exquisite ball off the outside of his foot, and then took the set piece that helped wrap up the points.

We won a corner on the right, our only corner of the game. Richard Keogh got his head to it to help it on its way and how appropriate it was, given the ridiculous penalty decision, that it was the former Ram Shackell at the far post who volleyed it home in some style.

Treacy immediately said his goodbyes with Junior Stanislas coming in and he all but set up a fourth with his first touch. In truth he did, with Ings grabbing his second of the game, but the assistant referee wrongly flagged for offside and it was ruled out.

Derby were ragged now and quite how Jake Buxton was allowed to stop on the pitch at the end only the hapless assistant will know. He shockingly launched into Ings right next to the assistant who just wasn't interested in giving anything.

It could have been a sour end to the game for well beaten Derby and after four minutes of stoppage time they were denied any further torment.

I've been trying to recall when we last played so well away from home and I can only say it is a long time ago.

This was simply an outstanding display from Burnley. Everyone played their part and it seems almost wrong to single players out, but if I have to then it has to be Shackell, a superb defensive performance despite the efforts of the referee, Scott Arfield who had Derby dizzy at times down our left and what work rate from him too, and then two strikers.

Poor beleaguered Nigel Clough. He thought they'd had a good 25 minutes in the second half. I can tell you that you are wrong young man.

But for us, if we needed a good performance in the league after Brighton then this was most definitely it. Let's just hope we can take that form into our next game when we resume after the international break whoever that might be against.

And I've booked for Derby next season. I've decided I like going there.

The teams were;

Derby: Lee Grant (in the middle of their goal), Kieron Freeman (Adam Smith ht), Richard Keogh, Jake Buxton, Craig Forsyth, Craig Bryson, Will Hughes, Paul Coutts (Ben Davies 67), Jamie Ward, Johnny Russell (Conor Sammon 75), Chris Martin. Subs not used: Adam Legzdins, Michael Jacobs, John Eustace, Mason Bennett.
Yellow Card: Ben Davies.

Burnley: Tom Heaton, Kieran Trippier, Michael Duff, Jason Shackell, Ben Mee, Keith Treacy (Junior Stanislas 75), Dean Marney, David Jones (David Edgar, Scott Arfield, Danny Ings, Sam Vokes. Subs not used: Alex Cisak, Kevin Long, Danny Lafferty, Brian Stock, Ryan Noble.
Yellow Cards: David Jones, Ben Mee.

Referee: Andy Madley (either Wakefield or Derby).

Attendance: 23,514.