It was, in some ways, a carbon copy of Saturday in that we lost to a single goal around the hour mark, but apart from that there is little similarity given that this game was played on a pitch worthy of the name.
For most of the evening Leeds were in total control. El Hadji Diouf played better than I've ever seen him before. "We aren't winning any second balls," someone said to me at one stage. I don't think we were winning any first balls or third balls either.
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| Jason Shackell was our best player |
We pushed forward towards the end to try and rescue it but in all honesty, had we got ourselves an equaliser, it would have been a rank injustice.
I learned at lunchtime yesterday that Charlie Austin had been ruled out of the team for the rest of the season. Willie Irvine's post war record therefore remains as our current leading striker can do no more than watch after having his appendix removed.
Martin Paterson got the call and he was one of two changes made to the team that lost at Blackpool with Alex Kačaniklić coming back for Junior Stanislas. That second change surprised me and I saw absolutely nothing from Kačaniklić all night to suggest that it worked. That he stayed on for the full ninety minutes was a surprise and I'm not sure he's the man you want around in a fight and that's exactly what we are facing now.
I shouldn't single him out. There were poor performances all over the pitch. Sam Vokes, as at Blackpool, didn't win a header of note in the game. Paterson offered precious little and we were, at times, woeful in the full back areas particularly down our left where Leeds had the measure of us in the first half with Ben Mee there and then in the second when Danny Lafferty had come on.
We started a bit like we did at Blackpool, grabbing the initiative in the first two or three minutes and then losing it. This time it was not far short of half time before we reclaimed it. The only consolation during that long period was that Leeds hardly looked like scoring.
They did hit the bar after Jason Shackell, again for me our best player, had blocked the first effort on the line. They got balls into our box almost at will but thankfully, in the main, they were dealt with.
Then, as the half was coming to a close, we had two opportunities. The first could hardly be said to be an opportunity, an excellent effort from Ross Wallace that went just a fraction wide of the foot of the post, the closest we were to get all night. Within a minute, Paterson was played in on the right of goal by Dean Marney but couldn't hit the target.
Just before the break Lafferty replaced the presumably injured Mee and at half time it was still 0-0. I thought surely we'd come out and step things up.
It wasn't to be. If the first half was poor then the second half was horrible. We should have been behind within seconds of the restart. Diouf went past Lafferty as if he wasn't there and crossed for the completely unmarked Luke Varney who missed an absolute sitter. Just 15 seconds in and we'd left a player unmarked like that. We were still switched off.
Stanislas came on for Paterson. In truth you could have taken your pick of a few to come off. He wasn't on long before the result was decided.
Diouf was, hardly surprisingly, the architect. He played a delightful ball over from the left for Rodolph Austin who got between two defenders to score with some ease. Incredibly some were pointing the finger at Lee Grant.
There was around half an hour to go but you sensed then that the game was up for us. Danny Ings came on and we did have more of the play. Chris McCann curled an effort wide and Ings, set up by Kačaniklić, shot wide. Other than that there was simply nothing to come from us.
Thankfully the yellow cards aren't counting now. We came up against a referee who hardly seemed to have his in his pocket. There were six in total, four for us, but for the life of me I can't see how this was ever a six yellow card game.
We can't get players suspended now for yellow cards. That's something because we need every single one of our players giving 100% for the remainder of the season. And that, based on last night, is a big ask.
After the win at Millwall in January, Sean Dyche's 15th league game in charge, I wrote that he'd more points in his first 15 games since any Burnley manager since Jimmy Mullen.
Last night was his 30th league game in charge. He can still boast a better record from his first 30 games than any of Chris Waddle, Stan Ternent or Brian Laws but 12 points in the last 15 games has seen this dramatic drop. Only Middlesbrough have picked up less points in that period.
I was convinced when we beat Bristol City that we were safe. No one has ever gone down with more than 52 points. But suddenly 54 no longer looks safe. We need points, and based on last night we don't look the most likely of teams to get them.
One win will do it. If we get that then we can put this season to bed and start planning for what hopefully will be a much better 2013/14 season. The consequences of not getting that win are really not worth thinking about.
The teams last night were;
Leeds: Paddy Kenny, Sam Byram, Tom Lees, Jason Pearce, Stephen Warnock, Michael Tonge, Rodolph Austin, Paul Green, El Hadji Diouf, Ross McCormack (Davide Somma 84), Luke Varney. Subs not used: Jamie Ashdown, Adam Drury, Aidan White, Habib Habibou, Dominic Poleon, Ryan Hall.
Yellow Cards: Sam Byram, Luke Varney.
Burnley: Lee Grant, Kieran Trippier, Kevin Long, Jason Shackell, Ben Mee (Danny Lafferty 45+1), Ross Wallace (Danny Ings 65), Dean Marney, Chris McCann, Alex Kačaniklić, Martin Paterson (Junior Stanislas 53), Sam Vokes. Subs not used: Brian Jensen, David Edgar, Marvin Bartley, Brian Stock.
Yellow Cards: Ben Mee, Martin Paterson, Dean Marney, Jason Shackell.
Referee: Fred Graham (Essex).
Attendance: 16,788.
