More than 90 Minutes

Last updated : 28 August 2005 By Tony Scholes
Wayne Thomas - sent off for an alleged elbow
The game turned on its head in more ways than one during the first dozen minutes of the second half as we came from behind to lead, lost a man to a rather dodgy looking red card and then saw the game held up for around ten minutes whilst a player received treatment just off the field by the corner flag.

Even then it wasn’t over as Derby’s dreadful fake tanned manager Phil Brown thought kicking stuff onto the pitch and running on himself was acceptable before the visitors finally grabbed and equaliser in the first half hour of added time.

Other than Brown’s pathetic antics on the touchline, there had been no suggestion of anything other than a normal sort of game during the first half as the Clarets played second fiddle to what was at times a very impressive Derby side.

With just one of the new signings in the team, Jon Harley coming in for Chris McCann from the side that beat Carlisle, we could possibly count ourselves fortunate to be just one goal behind at half time but what an amazing goal it was when it came.

It first highlighted the fact that one of the most incompetent referees, Graham Laws, was the man in the middle, and he awarded Derby a free kick that most definitely was not a foul. The Derby player went down without being touched as he went past Michael Duff and Laws fell for it.

Not as though there appeared to be much danger when Inigo Idiakez set the ball up in a central position some 35-40 yards from goal. Some will criticise Danny Coyne for being beaten from this distance but surely the credit should be going to Idiakez for a magnificent strike. Those in the Jimmy Mac saw the ball bend like a boomerang.

I suppose giving Derby a free kick so far out was not quite so bad as the penalty at Preston for something that was not a foul and was off the pitch in any case.

We did almost strike back but Lee Camp saved well from Garreth O’Connor in what was our best effort of the first forty-five minutes but we could have no complaints at going in behind when the half time whistle blew.

We needed an early lift if possible, and it could not have come much earlier, within thirty seconds of the restart we were level. Ade Akinbiyi played the ball back to Garreth O’Connor who chipped the ball forward.

The rest was pure Ade as he got past the two defenders, held them off and finished well giving Camp no chance. Some have said that we paid over the odds for Ade but goalscorers are worth their weight in gold. Right now Ade is that goalscorer.

The whole game changed and eight minutes later we were in front and Derby looked rattled. This time we worked the ball well down the right hand side before Duff got a cross in that Camp completely misjudged and Gifton was not going to miss with the header for his first home goal.

The afternoon was getting better but it was about to turn sour and just two minutes later Laws astonishingly produced the red card following an aerial challenge between Wayne Thomas and Derby striker Grzegorz Rasiak.

The Pole needed treatment as Thomas protested his innocence but he was disgracefully holding his face when there was no possibility of anyone having caught him there. He got stick from the Longside and with some just cause.
Steve Cotterill quickly made a change with young Keith Lowe, signed only the day before on loan from Wolves, coming on with Gifton the player sacrificed. It was going to be a tough 45 minutes.

Before the game could settle again we had one of those sickening incidents that no one wants to see in a football ground. It happened right by the corner flag between the Bob Lord and the Cricket Field Stand and left Derby’s Mark Edworthy down injured and saw Graham Branch booked by Laws.

The game was held up for at least ten minutes, a stretcher was brought, but Edworthy thankfully was finally able to get to his feet and walk to the dressing rooms. Sadly some Burnley fans thought it was appropriate to give Edworthy some stick, most thankfully applauded as he made his way to the tunnel.

It was later confirmed that he had suffered a gash to his head and Branchy appeared to have kicked him although Edworthy’s head was very low. It looked an accident but the Derby fans turned on our number nine. That must have been music to Branchy’s ears given that the stick usually comes from his home fans.

Almost from the restart Rasiak went up again, this time with Duff, and again he went down clutching his face. No one had touched him and how on earth he got away with it is anyone’s guess. The cheating Pole went off for further treatment, and even more and very much deserved abuse from the home fans in the Longside.

It all served to kill the game really and ten men Burnley coped very well despite being a player short. In fact most of the action was coming from the visitors’ technical area where Fake Tan was losing it completely.

He’d been warned by the fourth official for kicking a water bottle onto the pitch and then, after yet another encroachment, the referee was called over. Amazingly he was allowed to stay but a short sun bed session later he was at it again and this time even Laws was left with no alternative.

The ninety minutes was up and we still led 2-1 and this is where Burnley’s marketing slogan, ‘More than 90 Minutes’ came in and we stepped into extra time. The fourth official signalled eleven minutes, that was probably conservative, and around half way through that period Rasiak of all people scored the equaliser.

We should have cleared the ball, it should have gone up the field or into the upper tier, but it went to Tommy Smith who found Rasiak unmarked in the centre. He headed home off the underside of the bar and then almost repeated it a couple of minutes later but headed straight at Coyne.

That was it, a point that probably looked anything but likely at half time. Having said that, once in front we’d got the upper hand and the sending off, which surely even this clown Laws will look at again, turned things against us.

There were certainly some good points to our performance and definitely Jon Harley at left back. We know how good he can be and that was an impressive debut, particularly given the fact that he only signed on Friday afternoon.

He was the man of the match for me given all the circumstances, with Ade not far behind. If he can continue this sort of form for a while he is going to convince quite a few more doubters.

The teams were,

Burnley: Danny Coyne, Michael Duff, Wayne Thomas, John McGreal, Jon Harley, Garreth O’Connor, Micah Hyde, James O’Connor, Graham Branch, Gifton Noel-Williams (Keith Lowe 57), Ade Akinbiyi. Subs not used: Brian Jensen, Chris McCann, John Spicer, Karl Bermingham.

Derby: Lee Camp, Marc Edworthy (Seth Johnson 66), Michael Johnson (Marcus Tudgay 86), Andrew Davies, Richard Jackson, Morten Bisgaard, Adam Bolder (Mr Karren Brady 58), Inigo Idiakez, Tommy Smith, Grzegorz Rasiak, Paul Thirlwell. Subs not used: Lee Grant, Pablo Mills.

Referee (for want of a better word): Graham Laws (Whitley Bay).

Attendance: 12,234.