It was Pash's day

Last updated : 02 February 2013 By Tony Scholes

I'm not sure how he felt at around 11:45 a.m. yesterday, stood on the spectator side of the touchline at Gawthorpe with his wife, seeing Craig Mawson in charge of his youth team and them trailing league leaders Carlisle 3-0.

If that wasn't the best start to the day for the man in charge then things certainly improved and by the time he left to make his way to Turf Moor he'd seen his young charges respond brilliantly in the second half and secure a 4-3 win.

Brilliant double save from Lee Grant

I spoke to him briefly and so wanted to ask him what the team was. Last time I asked a manager that I got short shrift so waited, like everyone else, for the team to be announced. Michael Duff, as expected, came in for David Edgar, Ross Wallace was preferred to Martin Paterson and Brian Stock returned at the expense of Marvin Bartley who had started at Crystal Palace.

The bench was, given the starting eleven, as expected, and we lined up in a sort of 4-1-2-3 formation and if we had one early advantage over Blackpool then it was on the bench.

Ian Holloway, clearly unhappy with his team's recent performances, had already said he'd picked his team, picked his subs, no other player would travel and the rest would be in for training. That's all well and good, but when one of those players pulls up in the warm up you find yourselves one short.

It was Craig Cathcart who had to withdraw. Ian Evatt went back into the team and that left the visitors with just six substitutes.

Burnley attacked the cricket field end in the first half, but the opening period was scrappy. Neither side were able to threaten too much and both sides were giving the ball away too often and too cheaply.

Even so, we nearly went in front from the usually trusted feet of Charlie Austin. Junior Stanislas crossed the ball into the box and for all the world Charlie looked offside, but with no flag he got the ball down but saw Matt Gilks save his angled shot.

For all the  world he looked offside? Not to the assistant referee and television pictures proved him correct, the Blackpool defenders and the rest of us wrong. He was just onside.

I think the game might have needed a goal, and it got one just short of the 20 minutes. It all started when Duff hit a superb cross field ball for Stanislas. He again crossed well from the left. This time, as Austin stumbled, the ball went out to Ross Wallace on the right. He got the ball onto his favoured left foot and Austin, back on his feet, got between two defenders to head home the perfect cross.

I'm not sure what I can write about Austin; to be honest I think I've already written it. Even by his own standards he's on a remarkable run but his performance yesterday was not just about his goal. Pash himself spoke about what a good team player he is. He was outstanding.

Any concerns of Blackpool coming back at us were nothing other than concerns. The goal, apart from giving us the lead, saw us start to dominate the game. We defended well, and in numbers, when we had to and we got forward much more easily than they did.

We were the better side and, if being critical, we probably should have been able to add another goal or two. Just a few minutes before half time we all but did. Again Gilks came to Blackpool's rescue to deny Stanislas.

Chris McCann and Austin were involved in the quick exchange of passes that saw Stanislas break clear. He perhaps hit his shot at the right height for Gilks but he did nothing else wrong and was so unlucky not to be on the scoresheet.

I suppose, even had it gone in, the ref and assistant from three weeks ago would have turned up and ruled it out again.

Half time and 1-0 up. If only we could have got that second goal, I thought but even so we were in front and deserved to be.

Any concerns that Blackpool would come at us in the second half were quickly ended. They offered precious little and we continued to be the better side. Then, around the hour, they withdrew former Burnley loan player Nathan Delfouneso.

To suggest the Villa player, now on loan at Blackpool, had been ineffective is something of an understatement. He was very poor and no matter who came on it just had to improve them. It did, instantly. It was as if a button had been pressed to change the game.

Almost immediately they were almost level and it is goalkeeper Lee Grant we have to thank for ensuring we kept the lead with a simply brilliant double save to deny first Alex Baptiste and then Gary Taylor-Fletcher. Neither of the two players could believe he'd denied them while his team mates rushed to congratulate him. Stunning saves, and for a goalkeeper who had had precious little to do in the first hour of the game.

Suddenly Blackpool were pressing. We were struggling to retain possession although, in fairness, I don't recall them threatening our goal so much.

Pash made changes. Bartley came on for the impressive Stock to give us more legs in the midfield and, with a quarter of an hour remaining came the most significant change with the introduction of Pato.

Stanislas was the player to go off. He was unfortunate. He'd played well, and it could so easily have been someone else. But Pato gave us just what we needed. He harried the Blackpool defenders, he rushed them, he chased the ball across the pitch and that prevented them getting forward too quickly.

Blackpool's period on top was all but over and in truth I thought we saw the game out comfortably. We almost got a second too in stoppage time when the third sub Sam Vokes forced Gilks into a save after breaking clear from the half way line.

The nerves jangle a bit at the end when the lead is only one goal but when referee Michael Oliver, who had a good game, blew for the last time we'd won it 1-0.

All the focus was on Pash then. Both arms raised, punching the air with delight, he was loving every minute of it. Many of the players went to him to congratulate him. Both Kieran Trippier, the Sky man of the match, and Grant threw their arms round him.

I don't think there was a poor performance on the pitch. Every player gave us everything. They deserved everything they got with that performance. It was very much our day, it was Pash's day.

The teams were;

Burnley: Lee Grant, Kieran Trippier, Michael Duff, Jason Shackell, Ben Mee, Brian Stock (Marvin Bartley 69), Dean Marney, Chris McCann, Ross Wallace, Charlie Austin (Sam Vokes 86), Junior Stanislas (Martin Paterson 75). Subs not used: Brian Jensen, David Edgar, Joseph Mills, Cameron Stewart.
Yellow Cards: Ben Mee, Martin Paterson.

Blackpool: Matt Gilks, Neal Ardley, Alex Baptiste, Ian Evatt, Stephen Crainey, Angel Martinez, Gary Taylor-Fletcher, Isaiah Osbourne, Matt Phillips (Gerardo Bruna 80), Nathan Delfouneso (Ludovic Sylvestre 58), Tom Ince (Nouha Dicko 79). Subs not used: Mark Halstead, Tiago Gomes, Nathan Eccleston.
Yellow Cards: Stephen Crainey, Ian Evatt.

Referee: Michael Oliver (Northumberland).

Attendance: 12,925.