Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

Thankfully we got through and were there around an hour or so before kick off on what I think could be described as a chilly evening where we sat exposed to the elements at the end of a new stand that is hardly any better than the one it replaced.

The pitch looked fine with the under soil heating having been on although it apparently it was not quite as good as it looked, although it was certainly not in any sort of state to warrant a second glance before giving the game the go ahead.

Steve Cotterill had said he would make changes for the games over the festive season and hinted that the changes would probably be in wide positions, so it was probably no surprise to see that the two team changes saw Wade Elliott and Graham Branch both left out despite their performances against Stoke.

What was surprising though was the choice of players to replace them, John Spicer and Wayne Thomas, that left us all puzzled as to how we might play. We lined up with Thomas at the back alongside Frank Sinclair and John McGreal in an unexpected new defensive system.

I don’t think we ever really settled with the system and Norwich come at us from the off and came close to taking the lead a couple of times, particularly with one header which went just wide of Brian Jensen’s post.

It was us though who really should have gone in front when Ade Akinbiyi set up Gifton Noel-Williams but his effort on the left hand side when high over the bar and within no time we were behind and when it came it was all our own doing. We fell asleep at a free kick and were caught out with a quickly played ball. It was just what we didn’t need so early in the game.

To be fair we passed the ball around nicely and put the home side under some pressure and twice could have drawn level, firstly through John Spicer and then with a Wayne Thomas header. We weren’t playing well, but holding our own, and you sensed that if we could just keep it to one up to half time we might be in with a chance.

Unfortunately we didn’t and again we contributed so much to our own downfall after giving the ball away although there was nothing we could do when the finish came from Darren Huckerby. He was found with a ball over from the right and having found himself with far too much space on the left hand side he curled in an unstoppable shot into the far corner.

An injury to John Spicer saw him replaced just before half time by Wade Elliott, we always get someone injured in this fixture and before the second half got underway Thomas gave way to Graham Branch and we were back to the side that beat Stoke on Monday.

It made a difference and there’s no doubt we were the better side in the second half although as we pushed forward. There was always going to be a chance that we’d get caught at the back on the break and we did have one or two difficult moments with clearances off the line.

Overall though it was a fighting second half fight back and one that left the fans in no doubt of the qualities in the side. We probably needed an early goal to worry Norwich and it really should have come when Gifton made a chance for himself after getting past the defender, but from no more than fifteen yards out he sadly put his shot over the bar when it should have been 2-1.

We kept going and there was an element of good fortune when we did finally pull one back and it looks as though officially it has been recorded as an own goal with Youssef Safri deflecting a Jon Harley shot, forcing it to loop over goalkeeper Robert Green.

I would have given it to Harley but our club have officially recorded it as an own goal – I supposed had it been Crouch he would have been allowed to claim it. Harley was shooting, his effort was on target but it was still a goal for the Clarets and gave us a chance to get something.

And we gave it a go and had the home defence in all sorts of trouble more than once, although they twice could have clinched the win as they caught us on the break. Probably the best of the chances fell to Micah Hyde on the edge of the box but he wasn’t able to get any power into his shot and the defender did well to get across and block it.

We got crosses in, played some good balls across the box, but we just couldn’t quite find that second goal and when referee Penton finally brought it all to an end it was the home side celebrating a fourth successive win.

I’m not too concerned with Norwich but they are certainly not anything like the side that won promotion two years ago and I don’t see them as potential promotion candidates. Are we? Until we can start doing even reasonably well away from home in terms of results then it will be a struggle, this was our eighth defeat on the road.

It really was a disappointing first half and because of this I have looked at the second half performance when it came to a man of the match. We were so much better after the interval, we looked better balanced and we caused Norwich some problems with our play down the flanks, and that points to the two substitutes.

I could have gone for either of them and it was close, but perhaps because I was on his side of the ground and so more of him I’m going for Wade Elliott. Both him and Branchy were very influential during that second half and I just wonder who the game might have gone if they had both been given ninety minutes at them.

It is another defeat though away from home which puts us under pressure once again to continue getting results at home.

The teams were,

Norwich: Robert Green, Jurgen Colin, Craig Fleming, Gary Doherty, Adam Drury, Carl Robinson (Dickson Etuhu 85), Youssef Safri, Simon Charlton, Darren Huckerby, Dean Ashton (Leon McKenzie 65, Peter Thorne 89), Paul McVeigh. Subs not used: Darren Ward, Ian Henderson.

Burnley: Brian Jensen, Michael Duff, Wayne Thomas (Graham Branch 45), Frank Sinclair, John McGreal, Jon Harley, John Spicer (Wade Elliott 45), Micah Hyde, James O’Connor, Gifton Noel-Williams (Garreth O’Connor 90), Ade Akinbiyi. Subs not used: Lee Grant, Danny Karbassiyoon.

Referee: Clive Penton (Sussex).

Attendance: 25,204 of which 89% attended.