Easy win for leaders

Last updated : 05 March 2006 By Tony Scholes
Kyle Lafferty - full Burnley debut
Nottingham Forest were the visitors the last time we were beaten by three at home, but I don’t think it will have quite the same effect on Reading. Incredibly Forest, who went third in the league that night then went on to win just twice in their next twenty-five games, somehow I cannot see Reading suffering in the same way.

The third, deep into injury time, was just the icing on their cake but the game was virtually won as early as the tenth minute when the visitors went in front through Bobby Convey. There doesn’t look to be a goal in this Burnley side right now, it is two in eight games now, and once behind that looked to be it and so it proved.

In recent weeks, since the departure of Ade Akinbiyi the one player who could score goals, Steve Cotterill has tried a few permutations up front involving Graham Branch, Gifton Noel-Williams and Michael Ricketts but today not one of those three players were available. Branchy is out with a hamstring injury but there’s been no news on either Gifton or Ricketts other than the breaking news around 1:30 that Ricketts had left the ground.

Now I don’t think any of us in our wildest dreams could have come up with the front two – but before our very eyes were Kyle Lafferty, making his first start in the first team, and believe it or not Michael Duff.

Now Duff has played at full back, centre half and in midfield since joining the Clarets but this was a shock, but should it have been? Last week at Coventry, Steve Cotterill said of Duff after he had played in the centre of defence, “He may have to play somewhere else next week which might be out of position for him.” I don’t think we could have ever guessed it.

It really did look a strange line up and Frank Sinclair was at full back again, and someone reminded me that the last twice he had played there we had lost 3-0. Make that three times now.

We were always up against it once that first goal had gone in, and a cracking goal it was from Convey as he hit home an unstoppable shot from some twenty-five yards from goal. It wasn’t as though Reading needed a lift but it was just what we didn’t want.

But to our credit we got ourselves back into the game and at times played some neat football, in fact for much of the first half the play was towards the Reading goal and they hardly troubled us again before half time.

We created a couple of half chances, but didn’t really test Marcus Hahnemann. He saved a Sinclair effort without too much problem whilst Lafferty made room for himself in the box with a good turn but shot wide.

It wasn’t all one way and Reading had their moments and it was one such attack that brought about what looked to be a serious injury for striker Leroy Lita. He lost his footing whilst shooting and had to eventually be taken from the field on a stretcher. There have been suggestions that there could be a break, hopefully the x-rays will reveal not.

We didn’t deserve to go in behind at half time but it was all to be a different story in the second half as the visitors wrapped up the points, and fully deserved to, and if any Burnley fans thought we had a chance of coming back it was certainly all over ten minutes into the half when Reading doubled their lead.

Just before that they had introduced Glen Little as a substitute for another former Claret John Oster. It was a mixed reception for our former number seven, with boos from some and applause from others. His impact was quick, it was from his cross that Ibrahima Sonko headed in the second goal.

A third almost followed after Wayne Thomas got himself into a mess but a superb save from Brian Jensen kept it out at the expense of a corner and again, another defensive mix up came close to costing us.

At the other end, all we had to show for our efforts was an effort from Lafferty which was saved by Hahnemann, and a Thomas header from a corner that missed the target.

Reading were by now very much on top but they are not the sort of side that will put you under sustained pressure. They are a good side but very regimented in the way they play, like Chelsea in the Premiership I would suggest they are not the best of teams to watch.

They did get that third though, right at the end, as Kitson finished after a right wing cross form Hunt.

Many other teams have failed to stop their pursuit of the title and in the end we didn’t come close to it, and Reading like the two clubs closest to them, have done the double over us this season.

Where next for Burnley? That heaviest home defeat for over two and a half years, four successive defeats for the first time since December 2003, just two goals in the last eight league games and only five points from the last eleven games.

The Ade Akinbiyi sale might have looked a good one at the end of January, to most Burnley supporters it doesn’t any longer and having been fifth at Christmas most of those supporters would now settle for finishing the season fifth from bottom.

That’s how bad it has got, and I think we will all be thrilled to bits when the season is finally over, it is painful watching and I really do fear for the season ticket campaign as they once again play the loyalty card.

Many people are now suggesting that the club are out of touch with the supporters, if so that is a recipe for disaster and that might be where we are heading unless something is done, and done quickly.

The teams were,

Burnley: Brian Jensen, Frank Sinclair, Wayne Thomas, John McGreal, Jon Harley, John Spicer (Wade Elliott 57), James O’Connor, Micah Hyde, Chris McCann, Michael Duff, Kyle Lafferty. Subs not used: Mark Crossley, Duane Courtney, Danny Karbassiyoon, Garreth O’Connor.

Reading: Marcus Hahnemann, Graeme Murty, Ibrahima Sonko, Ivar Ingimarsson, Nicky Shorey, John Oster (Glen Little 52, Steve Hunt 83), Brynjar Gunnarsson, James Harper, Bobby Convey, Leroy Lita (Dave Kitson 40), Kevin Doyle. Subs not used: Graham Stack, Chris Makin.

Referee: Michael Jones (Chester).

Attendance: 12,888.