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As if the wind wasn’t bad enough we also started the game with the rain pouring down and to cap it all early in the first half we were treated to a bit of Potteries thunder and lightening.
But who are we to complain, forget the forgone conclusion of a League Cup 2nd leg tie under Waddle, with a record of three wins (4-1 in 1998/99 and 1-0 last season besides today’s victory) and a Payton inspired fightback in promotion season that earned us a 2-2 draw.
Much of the pre-match debate centred on just would be in and who would be out of the side with the three new signings all set to play. I think we had all worked out that Delroy Facey would replace Ian Moore and Gareth Farrelly would replace Glen Little but there were a number of candidates for who would go to allow Andy Todd into the side.
Last week Stan said that Richard Chaplow would be a good player as long as he kept his feet on the ground, well today he planted them firmly on the ground for him by leaving him out after his excellent performance last week.
With Todd partnering David May in the centre of defence and in effect Farrelly taking Chaplow’s place it allowed Branch to go right back to where he started when he first arrived at the Turf. Although now apparently just five games away from being a centre half he was back on the left hand side of midfield.
If there were any doubts as to whether Andy Todd would be welcome these were quickly dispelled as he, and the other new boys, all received tremendous welcomes from the always vocal travelling support. And the Blackburn loan player quickly endeared himself to his new fans with an early tackle to bring Stoke’s first attack to an end.
Not as though Stoke were doing too much attacking as Burnley dominated the early exchanges with a style of football that the home supporters would have had difficulty understanding. Whilst Tony Pulis’ side appreciate the direct style, and I am being kind to them with that description, the Clarets were moving forward in a superb pass and move style. We were dominating the midfield and Gareth Farrelly was impressing alongside Tony Grant who was once again in outstanding form.
The home side simply had no answer as we time after time got into good positions and we were quite simply passing them off the park. Stoke had a number of scares but none closer than Farrelly’s long range shot on the quarter hour that hammered against Stoke keeper Ed de Goey’s right hand post.
A goal had to come and it duly did only three minutes later although not directly from the end of a neat passing move. After another excellent piece of play we won a corner on the right hand side, Branch flicked on Farrelly’s right wing flag kick and Facey appeared to get a head onto it.
And it dropped for our two central defenders to get on the end of it at the far post. It looked initially as though Todd had got a debut goal but it was in fact May who bundled it home for his first Burnley goal.
The home side tried to get back into the game but Burnley came storming back and doubled the lead with Luke Chadwick bagging his first Clarets’ goal after a superb move. It was Branchy play a 1-2 off Robbie Blake and put Chadwick in and he passed the ball in although the impressive de Goey.
Two up and coasting and the quality of football was for a time something else, I cannot remember when I last saw a Burnley side pass the ball as well as this and everyone was playing their part right from the two at the back.
Although Stoke got forward more it was always Burnley who looked more likely to score and after Facey missed an opportunity it was only De Goey who prevented us from going in three up at half time. After a mazy run from Blake he unleashed a shot that looked all set for the top corner before the Stoke keeper somehow tipped it away.
That was literally the end of the first half action and the Clarets (or on this occasion the Greys) left to a standing ovation, it really had at times been brilliant to watch.
I think it was fair to assume that Stoke might come at us at the beginning of the second half and they did just that with their former Gillingham and Sheffield United striker grabbing the headlines alongside the previously quiet referee Cooperman.
Just six minutes into the second half Asaba finally forced Cooperman into getting his cards out after a bad foul on Dean West but just two minutes later he dragged his side back into the game, heading home from close range.
But it was a bad, bad goal to concede. Yet again we were caught out with the cross field ball to the player wide on the left and he got a cross in for Asaba to head home although keeper Brian Jensen didn’t look to play too impressive a part.
It was just what we didn’t want and we could now expect some pressure from Stoke. What did happen in fact was that Stoke were reduced almost immediately to ten men when Cooperman flashed the most used red card in football.
From our vantage point though he seemed to have no alternative and although it has been reported that Asaba walked for two yellows I saw no evidence of that second yellow and believe he could have received a straight red for violent conduct.
Did he or didn’t he elbow David May? He certainly caught him in the face and May spent some time off the field receiving treatment after the game had restarted.
Even with ten though they did put us under some pressure and should have equalised when Gifton Noel-Williams broke clear but he made a complete hash of it and didn’t even get a shot in.
Eventually though we started to get back into control and get more possession and although not trying to force the game we were once again preventing Stoke from seeing much of the ball.
Farrelly’s impressive debut came to an end when injury forced him off and Paul Weller was brought on. Apparently Farrelly had to go to hospital for a scan but hopefully there will be no real damage.
His Bolton team mate Facey didn’t have the best of debuts and struggled with his lone role up front and was then replaced by fit again Ian Moore. And it was Moore who looked to have sealed Burnley’s win when he slid home at the far post after another impressive build up down the right. The assistant shortened the celebrations by flagging it offside although Mooro did appear to time his run well.
By the end Stoke were hardly getting a touch on the ball at all. They have a system at the Britannia Stadium of having balls all around the perimeter to use when one goes out of play. They needed to bring some of them on because we were by now having exclusive use of it.
And twice in the last few minutes skipper Branch could have scored. His first effort was brilliantly saved by de Goey and his second crashed against the post, not surprisingly tipped onto it by another de Goey save.
The last one just about brought proceedings to an end and despite that early second half period there was no doubt that we fully deserved our win after simply passing Stoke off the park for much of the game.
Fair enough we will play better sides, in fact far better sides, than Stoke this season but better sides would still have struggled to get the ball of us at times this afternoon.
Man of the Match is a difficult one, you could name anyone of a number of players and it would be difficult to disagree. But I'm going for Tony Grant because I thought he was superb at the beginning of the game and very instrumental on Burnley stamping their authority on the game.
And as for Cooperman – five yellows and one red card but to be fair he probably had little alternative and he probably had a decent enough game. I’d still be worried though if he was refereeing our game next week.
That’s three wins on the spin then and only one goal conceded with six goals scored, all by different players. Suddenly the talk of relegation has gone and I even heard the words ‘Play Offs’ mentioned.
Let’s not get too excited – let’s just crack on for now and get another 41 points to ensure First Division football again next season.
I’ve just got back from the windy city – but it was certainly not Calamity Jane at the Britannia for the Clarets.
Today’s teams were,
Stoke: Ed de Goey, Wayne Thomas, Paul Williams (Chris Ilewumo 80), Marcus Hall, Darel Russell, Keith Andrews, John Eustace, Clive Clarke, Chris Greenacre (Marc Goodfellow 63), Gifton Noel-Williams, Carl Asaba. Subs not used: Neil Cutler, Lewis Neal, Karl Henry.
Burnley: Brian Jensen, Dean West, David May, Andy Todd, Mo Camara, Luke Chadwick, Robbie Blake, Tony Grant, Gareth Farrelly (Paul Weller 73), Graham Branch, Delroy Facey (Ian Moore 79). Subs not used: Richard Chaplow, Matt O’Neill, Alan Moore.
Referee: Cooperman (Walsall).