|
I'd stood at a foggy Gawthorpe all morning watching the youth team win comprehensively against Accrington, but it was all clear in the Turf Moor area, and dare I say it not as cold as it was at the training ground.
I had a bad feeling about this one. Derby have a more than decent record at Burnley and although they are clearly not as good a side as they thought they were going to be they always seem to be able to get results, via fair or foul means, when they visit us.
There were no surprises when the team was announced. I think we'd all expected that there would be places for Kevin McDonald and Martin Paterson who both did so well at Barnsley when they came on as subs. They both came in and we started the game with the eleven players who played most of the second half at Oakwell.
Wade Elliott was still ruled out with injury whilst Steven Thompson, back from suspension, had to settle for a place on the bench for the first time since he signed for us at the end of August.
It was cold in the stands, hats, gloves etc. were the order of the day, but the Clarets soon warmed us up and how. We were almost in front from our very first attack. We won a corner on the left that was taken by Robbie Blake. It was knocked back out to him and he cut into the box before playing in Paterson whose effort was only just off target.
We went one better at the very next corner. This time Steven Caldwell got to it and headed it down for McDonald and he scored his first goal in Burnley colours.
There was no let up. Chris Eagles came close with a speculative effort and then combined brilliantly with Robbie down the right hand side. McDonald was involved but the interplay between Eagles and Robbie was something else and it left Eagles clear down the right. He crossed low and Paterson was storming in to finish from close range.
2-0 up and it wasn't long before we scored number three and it was almost a carbon copy of the second goal. From another superb low cross from Eagles there was Pato again to slide in and get his second and our third. Not a bad return for Paterson is it? Four goals in a spell of just about 45 minutes.
Three goals in the first half and we haven't done that in almost a year. The last time was at Wolves in last season's 3-2 win and the last time we scored three first half goals at home was in the 4-0 demolition of Plymouth in April 2007.
As we celebrated the third goal there was an unwelcome visitor descended on the ground. That first period had been played out in decent enough conditions but the fog started to come in and was soon getting worse.
It didn't help Derby. Roy Carroll did well to keep out a Robbie free kick, they almost put through their own goal and in all honesty they must have been relieved to get to half time without conceding any more goals.
There were two changes at the start of the second half. Nathan Ellington came on for Kris Commons in the Derby side and referee Steve Tanner opted for a change of ball, replacing the white ball with an orange one.
Carroll was again equal to a Robbie free kick, making a superb save to keep it out an then Eagles probably should have made it four after going clear but put his shot wide of goal.
As the fog thickened Derby did get forward a bit more but in truth they didn't really threaten other than a shot that hit the outside of the post. It always looked that Burnley were the more likely scorers.
Owen Coyle made his substitutions which afforded the departing players Robbie Blake, Chris Eagles and Martin Paterson standing ovations, and then right at the end Thompson, on for Paterson, almost got an incredible fourth with an outrageous volley from outside the box. It could have only missed the target by inches.
This was another good home performance to go with some of the others this season, and for that first quarter of the game I think we played as well as we've played all season. There was some superb forward play with Eagles and Blake always prominent.
But behind them the defence never looked in trouble whilst Graham Alexander turned in an excellent performance alongside the very impressive Double Mac team of McCann and McDonald.
No one disappointed, not one player, and it really has been difficult choosing a man of the match. It came down to a choice between Alexander and Paterson and after some deliberation I've gone for Paterson because quite simply he was back to his belligerent best up front.
I reckon in that sort of form he must be a nightmare to play against, and for the second game in succession he scored a brace.
But it really was a team performance, and one that lit up the gloom. That Fog on the Turf was all ours, all ours. That Fog on the Turf was all ours.
The teams were;
Burnley: Brian Jensen, Michael Duff, Clarke Carlisle, Steven Caldwell, Stephen Jordan, Graham Alexander, Chris Eagles (Steven Thompson 81), Kevin McDonald, Chris McCann, Robbie Blake (Alan Mahon 76), Martin Paterson (Joey Gudjonsson 86). Subs not used: Diego Penny, Ade Akinbiyi.
Yellow cards: Clarke Carlisle.
Derby: Roy Carroll, Paul Connolly, Darren Powell, James Tomkins, Jordan Stewart, Kris Commons (Nathan Ellington 45), Miles Addison, Przemyslaw Kazmierczak, Paul Green, Rob Hulse, Luke varney. Subs not used: Stephen Bywater, Lewin Nyatanga, Nacer Barazite, Emanuel Villa.
Yellow cards: Paul Green, Luke Varney, Rob Hulse.
Referee: Steve Tanner (Somerset).
Attendance: 11,552.