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There was to be no such comforting thought for the Burnley supporters who descended upon Wolves marvellous Molineux stadium on Saturday. Instead, they would have left with a profound sense of deja-vu. Just like last season, the Clarets were beaten 3-0. The only difference this time, is that the home side were made to wait until the 90th minute for their third goal, instead of a mere 45, as was the case last season.
The tone for the afternoon was set as early as 82 seconds, when NTG, clearly suffering from a crisis of confidence, failed to hold Colin Cameron’s shot from the edge of the area. Nathan Blake, (well, it had to be didn’t it?), accepted the gilt-edged opportunity to give Wolves the lead. Still, if you are going to concede a goal, the best time to do it is in the first couple of minutes. At least then you have time to fight back.
That fight-back was severely hampered by Paul Cook, who in deference to Manchester United’s midfield lynchpin, launched into a tribute to Roy Keane. His foul against Alex Rae was bad enough to warrant a booking, but no more. Other reports have suggested that Cook was dismissed for foul and abusive language. If this was the case, then the 35 year-old should be hauled over the coals. As a seasoned pro, the former Wolves man knows the potential pit-falls of mouthing off – particularly with an attention seeking referee like Jeff Winter in charge.
It was always going to be tough from thereon in. To be fair to the Clarets, their passing and approach play for the remainder of the half, matched anything Wolves had to offer. It all came undone, however, whenever Burnley got within 18 yards of goal. A lack of cutting edge combined with a reluctance to shoot, meant a quiet afternoon for another opposition keeper.
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At 1-0 down, Burnley were always in with a chance, but that hope soon evaporated when Dennis Irwin lashed home an unstoppable free-kick. Some have sought to blame NTG for the goal, but the sheer power with which the effort was struck gave our keeper no chance.
The game was well and truly up at this point. Papadopolous was introduced to add some pace and spark into attack, but to minimal effect. Mystifyingly, the opportunity to give either The Padiham Predator or The Deep Sea Diver a run-out was passed up.
With depressing inevitability a third goal duly arrived. Kevin Cooper rounded NTG with far too much ease to complete what one website referred to as, "the easiest 3-0 victory ever." That assessment is more than a little harsh, but for me, the game threw up 2 major concerns.
Firstly, whilst Michopoulus is still potentially a very good keeper, he is off his game at the moment. Hopefully, rumours that Ternent is trying to bring in Everton’s Paul Gerrard will bear fruit.
Secondly, and most worryingly, the defence looks a long way off being a cohesive unit. Burnley need to get back to being hard to beat. If this means closing games down and making them ugly, then so be it – particularly if it means that we can avoid horror-shows like Saturday’s.