Flat once more at Fortress Turf Moor

Last updated : 06 March 2013 By Tony Scholes

After both the Middlesbrough and Huddersfield games I suggested that we'd have gone on and won them had we been able to get an early goal but we got just that last night but it made no difference and no one could deny Barnsley were worth their point at the end of the game.

It just wasn't good enough and the problems mainly stemmed from midfield where, frankly, David Edgar and Marvin Bartley are simply not good enough at this level. They got away with it on a cabbage patch pitch on Saturday against a Charlton side that don't bother with the midfield, but last night former Rochdale player David Perkins took centre stage.

Even so, and despite the poor show, this was a game we would probably have gone on and won but for the appalling Carl Boyeson. I warned about this shocking official ahead of the game. He doesn't make decisions, quite often because he's too far away because he's not fit enough to keep up with play, and last night made two major errors that could seriously have cost us.

Charlie Austin gave us an early lead

He incredibly ignored Martin Paterson being pulled back by former Claret Stephen Foster. Had he given the decision he would have had to decide whether it was a yellow or red card, but it would have mattered not because Foster had already been carded.

There was more to come. Sam Vokes played in Charlie Austin who looked a certain scorer. Down he went and again Boyeson gave nothing.

These are not excuses; they are facts, but they can't hide the fact that we were just nowhere near good enough again.

Lifted by the win at Charlton there was more confidence around. Sean Dyche was again without Ross Wallace and Dean Marney whilst Chris McCann was deemed fit enough to return via the bench. In truth, the sooner these three are fit the better. Despite them getting more than a fair amount of criticism they are very much missed when not available.

Dyche therefore named the same team and it all started rather well. We were on the front foot from the kick off and in only the ninth minute went in front. Home debutant Alex Kačaniklić played in Danny Lafferty down the left flank.

The full back's cross was perfect for Charlie Austin. He appeared to knee it towards goal with the ball going in off a Barnsley player.

That was just what we wanted but we were never able to capitalise on it and the first half was, in general, a really scrappy affair with neither side able to offer much. Both gave the ball away too often and when we did get in good positions the delivery into the box was nowhere near good enough.

Both goalkeepers were probably forced into no more than one good save each and by half time the game had already descended to the level of the previous two home games.

Things didn't improve in the second half either, in fact things got worse but quite how Boyeson missed the pull back on Paterson early in the half only he will know. It was an absolutely ridiculous decision to allow play to go on and I wonder what action he might have taken had Foster not already been carded.

We made two early changes with Chris McCann and Danny Ings coming on for Edgar and Junior Stanislas and not long after that Sam Vokes came on for Paterson.

None of the substitutions I could fathom and none of them improved things at all but Vokes, with one of his first touches, played Austin in with a delightful ball only for the Clarets' striker to go down in the box under a challenge from Martin Crainie.

Almost immediately, Austin should have wrapped things up but mis-kicked a cross from McCann. It all makes it sound good with pull backs, penalty shouts and missed chances, but it wasn't. That was about all we offered in the entire half and the rest was wondering whether Barnsley would find an equaliser.

They did, finally, with six minutes to go. It was a well taken goal from Tomasz Cywka but someone should be asking serious questions as to why and how he was allowed to turn on the edge of our penalty box with no semblance of a challenge.

There was never any danger of us finding a winner, but Barnsley nearly did and only the alert goalkeeping of Grant kept them out.

Thankfully it ended 1-1 because we certainly didn't deserve any more than that. Barnsley had proved to be better than us and might well have been disappointed to be going home with only the one point.

Another horrible night and what an awful place Turf Moor has become to watch football.

On the same date two years ago we beat Crystal Palace 1-0 at home with a third minute goal from Jay Rodriguez. It was hardly inspiring stuff that day but we hung on for the win. At that point in time we had a good home record. We'd won 10, drawn 3 and lost 3 of the 16 played.

Just take a look at the home record since. We've played 48 home league games. Only 16 of them have been won with 14 lost. It's not good enough. It's nowhere near good enough. There have been a lot of horrible games in those 48 and for much of the time played in the flattest of atmospheres.

I much prefer going to away games now. I know people that only go to away games. It's hardly a surprise and until things improve on and off the pitch things are not going to change.

We are a long, long way from Fortress Turf Moor.

The teams were;

Burnley: Lee Grant, Kieran Trippier, Kevin Long, Jason Shackell, Danny Lafferty, Junior Stanislas (Danny Ings 53), David Edgar (Chris McCann 53), Marvin Bartley, Alex Kačaniklić, Martin Paterson (Sam Vokes 66), Charlie Austin. Subs not used: Brian Jensen, Joseph Mills, Brian Stock, Keith Treacy.
Yellow Card: Marvin Bartley.

Barnsley: Luke Steele, Scott Wiseman, Stephen Foster, Martin Crainie, Tom Kennedy, Jacob Mellis, David Perkins, Kelvin Etuhu (Jim O'Brien 78), Chris O'Grady, Marlon Harewood (Tomasz Cywka 45), Chris Dagnall (Jason Scotland 55). Subs not used: Lukas Lidakevicius, Bobby Hassell, Ryan Tunnicliffe, Rory Delap.
Yellow Cards: Stephen Foster, Jacob Mellis.

Referee: Carl Boyeson (East Yorkshire).

Attendance: 10,534.