Home rule comes to an end

Last updated : 25 October 2009 By Tony Scholes
Steven Fletcher
Steven Fletcher - looks a different player up front
We've got accustomed to winning at home and incredibly these are the first Turf Moor points dropped since Sheffield Wednesday beat us 4-2 and that was no less than 34 weeks ago.

There's no doubt we are putting ourselves under pressure to win at home with the away record that currently goes from bad to worse, and here was a chance to keep up that with this Wigan game followed by the visit of Hull City next week.

Manager Owen Coyle gave Chris Eagles his first league start of the season, reward for his performance after coming on as a substitute last week. David Nugent was the player left out and that meant Steven Fletcher moving into the centre. On the bench there was one other change with fit again Fernando Guerrero named with Christian Kalvenes missing out.

It all started well for us. In only the fourth minute a bit of magic from Robbie Blake on the left, following a thrown in from Stephen Jordan, saw Fletcher just about convert his cross via the woodwork and there we were again, a goal up at home.

Wigan came back at us and twice Brian Jensen was involved. He managed to get one shot away from a corner and then cleared that with his feet at the far post. But the Beast can't have been very happy with his next contribution that gifted Wigan an equaliser and brought his afternoon to an early finish.

There seemed no danger from a hopeful ball into the box from their right. Jensen came and Mears saw that and left him to deal with it. But he hesitated, that forced a slip and as he went down Hugo Rodallega was left with the simplest of tasks of putting the ball into the empty net.

After some lengthy treatment he was back on his feet and continued in goal, but it looked an astonishing decision to leave him on as he hobbled around on his bad ankle. That decision was soon rectified and he was replaced by Diego Penny who came on for his Premier League debut and his first league appearance since the opening day of last season.

If there was ever a right time for Diego to get his chance then perhaps this was it. He was outstanding again in the reserves in midweek against Manchester City when he saved two penalties, and overall this season his form has been good in his limited opportunities.

In truth he had little to do for the rest of the first half. He made one save down to his left, his handling was excellent, but he was rarely under any sort of pressure whilst exactly the same could be said for Chris Kirkland at the other end.

Basically it was scrappy stuff, the most disappointing football we've seen on the Turf this season. Neither side got to grips with the game; Wigan were falling over at every opportunity to win free kicks and the whistle happy Lee Mason was obliging almost at will.

The 1-1 scoreline at half time was about right with neither side having done anything like enough to warrant being in front and I suggested the game was there for the taking for either side if they could get to grips with things.

And early in the second half both teams had a chance to go in front. We missed ours and they scored theirs and suddenly we were in a position of having to come from behind. Eagles was first up and having got into the box he should have done much better than put his shot wide. In fairness television pictures show that Kirkland did get a touch on it and it should have been a corner, but those chances have to be put away.

Just a few minutes later a ball inside Clarke Carlisle found Jason Scotland who laid it back for Rodallega who had come in from the left touchline totally unmarked. He didn't pass up the opportunity and scored via the foot of the far post.

Owen Coyle switched things round to try and change things, going 4-4-2 with Wade Elliott on the right and Eagles on the left with Blake going into the centre with Fletcher. That four played the last half hour at Blackburn last week as we came back into the game but this week it got little opportunity because almost immediately we made a change.

That change saw Nugent come on for Blake and immediately we had our best spell of the game. Immediately Nugent got down the left and crossed for Alexander to test Kirkland, and both Nugent and Eagles should have done better with chances.

We were really taking the game to Wigan now and the visitors knew they were under some pressure. So obviously they played another game of all fall down to break up play. This time it was Hendry Thomas who dropped as if he'd been pole axed after being kicked in the face by Alexander.

That's how it may have seen to some but Alexander hadn't made any contact at all, he'd actually headed the ball. At least Mason didn't fall for this one as he ordered the Wigan player to be stretchered off but why, oh why, did that yellow card not come out? Wigan made no moves to bring on a substitute, and needless to say Thomas was back on the pitch very quickly.

Our little spell of ascendancy was over now and at no stage did we really threaten Wigan again and they wrapped it up with what was another poor goal from our point of view. Tyrone Mears got into a tangle in the box and Jordan rescued the situation at the expense of a corner.

The corner was flicked on at the near post for Andre Bikey to stand and watch Emerson Boyce get on the end of it at the far post to get the third and decisive Wigan goal. It was poor, poor defending from Bikey.

There was still around twenty minutes to play including the time Mason added on at the end but it might as well have finished there because we were beaten and we never threatened to get ourselves back into it.

So, that home run which stretched to ten successive victories in league and play offs is over. It's been an incredible run that had seen us concede only two goals in the last nine of them.

But we can't have any complaints about this one. We didn't play at all well and it was Wigan who took their chances in the second half and I don't think anyone can dispute their right to the points.

There were some positives and none more so than the performance of Fletcher up front, particularly in the first half when he really was our best player. He looked a different player than the one who has struggled in a clearly unfamiliar right wing slot.

Again the two full backs were amongst the pick of our best players, and Jordan in particular, but there is no doubt that Fletcher is getting my man of the match award.

I keep remembering the words of advice from Tony Pulis after Stoke had beaten us on the opening day of the season. He said we shouldn't get despondent about a defeat but just move onto the next game.

That's what we are doing and hopefully we'll get another home run started next week when we play Hull.

The teams were;

Burnley: Brian Jensen (Diego Penny 15), Tyrone Mears, Clarke Carlisle, Steven Caldwell, Stephen Jordan, Graham Alexander, Andre Bikey (Kevin McDonald 82), Chris Eagles, Wade Elliott, Robbie Blake (David Nugent 67), Steven Fletcher. Subs not used: Michael Duff, Joey Gudjonsson, Fernando Guerrero, Steven Thompson.
Yellow Cards: Clarke Carlisle, Graham Alexander.

Wigan: Chris Kirkland, Mario Melchiot, Titus Bramble, Emerson Boyce, Maynor Figueroa (Jordi Gomez 28), Hendry Thomas, Paul Scharner (Marlon King 78), Mohamed Diame, Charles N'Zogbia, Jason Scotland, Hugo Rodallega. Subs not used: Mike Pollitt, Olivier Kapo, Jason Koumas, Won-Hee Cho, Scott Sinclair.

Referee: Lee Mason (Bolton).

Attendance: 19,430.