Home fans Boing Boing as winning run ends

Last updated : 03 February 2008 By Tony Scholes
Jon Harley
Jon Harley - Man of the Match
Our last league defeat was at Blackpool. We fully deserved to come away with nothing that day because we were awful and far worse than Blackpool. On this occasion it was more that West Brom very much deserved the points because on the day they were better than us.

We knew it was going to be tough, even when we took an early lead through former Baggie James O'Connor, and at the final whistle I don't think we could have any real complaints about the result.

I've always liked going to West Brom, maybe it is because when I first started watching Burnley away from home it was a ground where we got our fair share of good results. It is a proper football ground, redeveloped but still a football ground rather than a modern soulless bowl.

It's a while since I saw us win there, 1969 to be exact when an early Steve Kindon goal was enough to win us the points. The wait goes on after this game as we were beaten 2-1 by surely the best team in this division.

There were no surprises ahead of kick off. Owen Coyle named the same side that had won at Coventry and beaten Scunthorpe in the two previous games whilst on the bench Stephen Jordan and Garreth O'Connor made way for this week's two new loan signings Andrew Cole and Mark Randall.

Now I know my football, and on recalling the start at West Brom last season I pointed out that we really needed to get through the first ten minutes without any goals. That theory was blown right out of the water in the third minute.

Wade Elliott made a run down the right hand side and was fouled by West Brom's Paul Robinson although the decision did look a bit harsh. Robbie Blake took the kick, David Unsworth got in to win the header that allowed O'Connor to get onto it and score his first goal since the opener in last season's 3-2 win against Preston.

What a start. And it could have been better. Chris McCann got in a shot and so did Wade Elliott with both just missing the target as the Clarets took the game to West Brom in no uncertain terms.

Who knows what might have happened had we got a second, but we didn't and eventually West Brom got themselves right back into the game. They hit the bar, they hopelessly missed the target with an easy header and you just thought it might be our day when the league's leading marksman Kevin Phillips shot wide from a good position.

We were on the back foot now and were relieved to see a spectacular Zoltan Gera effort go just wide and you sensed the equaliser might be on the way - and it was. When it came there were a lot of questions to be asked.

Stanislav Varga was shepherding the ball out for a goal kick. It was one of those laws of the game that allow him to do it but one that frustrates fans, and obviously West Brom striker Roman Bednar who decided to push Varga over the touchline.

Incredibly English football's number one non-decision making referee Mike Pike ridiculously opted to ignore it and give a corner. Jonathan Greening took it, Brian Jensen came and stopped, Bostjan Cesar got round Varga and hammered the ball home. The lead was gone.

It could have been worse almost immediately as they attacked down their right. Jensen came storming out until he realised he couldn't get there but Varga came to the rescue as he got in to get the ball away.

It was all Albion now and it was all hands to the pumps as we were put under enormous pressure. To our credit, and with a little bit of luck, we were able to get to half time with the scores level.

We'd got through that period and at the start of the second half we did get forward a couple of times to no avail. But the home side continued to look the stronger as Owen Coyle prepared to make his substitution. Unfortunately as we waited to make the change they scored again.

It all came down their left and saw Robinson hit a cross to the far post. The impressive Bednar got there above Unsworth and headed home from close range. We'd a battle on now and we immediately made the change with Cole replacing Ade Akinbiyi.

There was no immediate sign of us launching a fight back and when Coyle got his second debutant ready to come on we almost conceded again. Referee Pike pointed to the penalty spot after Jon Harley brought down Robert Koren.

No arguments, it was a correct decision, but I'd some sympathy with Harley who tried to pull out when he realised he wasn't going to get the ball. Still it didn't matter. Koren took the kick but Jensen got down well to save to his left. Harley then got in to make a last ditch tackle to prevent a second shot and the danger had gone.

Arsenal youngster Mark Randall came on and we had a real go at trying to get something from the game and there were openings at both ends. Thankfully at one end Jensen saved well and another effort went wide, down in front of the Burnley fans though we just couldn't conjure up an equaliser.

Jimmy O'Connor almost got on the end of something but he was stretching and wasn't able to get anything behind his shot. Cole turned his defender once brilliantly and was then flagged offside when clear, it looked as though it might have been a very close decision.

It wasn't to be though and we suffered our first league defeat since the first day of the year. Disappointing? Without a doubt, and more so given that we'd taken that early lead. But that's all it was, disappointing, and I reckon if we go on to play like that in each of our next sixteen games we'll be picking up more than our fair share of points.

There were some disappointing individual performances but we have to take into account the quality of the opposition, we really won't come up against a team as good as that every week in this league.

Best players: Joey Gudjonsson had a storming first half, his passing from a deep midfield position was outstanding, but he didn't quite have the same impact in the second half and had a difficult few minutes before going off when he gave the ball away too easily a few times.

So for me the choice for man of the match was between the two full backs. Both have been playing well recently and it is almost unfair to single one out ahead of the other, but despite giving the penalty away I've opted for Jon Harley.

Colchester next week and a real hope to get back to winning ways very quickly. Just keep on playing like that Burnley.

The teams were;

West Brom: Dean Kiely, Carl Hoefkens, Martin Albrechtsen, Bostjan Cesar, Paul Robinson, Zoltan Gera, Robert Koren, Jonathan Greening, James Morrison, Kevin Phillips (Craig Beattie 61), Roman Bednar (Filipe Teixeira 76). Subs not used: Michal Danek, Leon Barnett, Chris Brunt.

Burnley: Brian Jensen, Graham Alexander, Stanislav Varga, David Unsworth, Jon Harley, Wade Elliott, James O'Connor, Joey Gudjonsson (John Spicer 81), Chris McCann (Mark Randall 70), Robbie Blake, Ade Akinbiyi (Andrew Cole 61). Subs not used: Gabor Kiraly, Steven Caldwell.

Referee: Mike Pike (Cumbria).

Attendance: 22,206.