Not again? Yes, again.

Last updated : 07 November 2010 By Tony Scholes
Tyrone Mears
Tyrone Mears - outstanding in the first half
It's becoming a feature of the season so far and, as we still await that first away win, we have dropped further down the table and yet again see that a conceded goal in stoppage time has prevented us from having a place in the top six.

Again it's caused great debate and in terms of the match report I'm still unsure where to start. I've even considered writing two, one on the first half and one on the second half so diverse were the performances of the two sides either side of half time.

But you don't win points in half a game and neither do you lose points and so one report it is of a game that we looked to have in the bag at half time only for it to slip from our grasp against a Norwich side that eventually proved to be one of the best sides we've met this season.

The journey to and from Norwich yesterday didn't seem anything like as long as it's done in previous seasons, whether by car or coach. I suppose that's the beauty of having a decent book to read that helps pass the time.

We were there just in time for the first shower of rain to hit us as we left the coach for the walk down the hill to the ground where we found there was one change to the side that had drawn with QPR as Martin Paterson returned for Chris Iwelumo.

We'd had our tactics discussion during the pub stop and this had been the majority decision although it was without doubt a surprise to see it come to fruition. We thought Jack Cork might come back for Graham Alexander and potentially Andre Bikey for Michael Duff, but Bikey is having further problems with the rib injury sustained at Millwall and wasn't considered fit enough for a place on the bench.

A week ago our former manager John Benson passed away. He'd played for Norwich, coached there and scouted for them and yet, although both teams wore black armbands there was no acknowledgement and certainly no minute's silence or applause. I found that very sad indeed and I would hope that on Tuesday our club show more respect to someone involved in our club.

It was a quiet opening to the game but eventually we got into our stride and for a spell were the better side, although we didn't cause goalkeeper John Ruddy too many problems. It was a short spell and then the game evened itself up with Norwich getting forward a couple of times.

At that point I was concerned they might just get on top but we put a stop to that by taking the lead with as good a football goal as you are likely to see. Sadly the television pictures don't show anything like enough of it but having built the play up really well the ball from Jay Rodriguez to Tyrone Mears was perfect.

The full back, who was outstanding in the first half, got it absolutely right as he pulled it back low for Paterson to score into the bottom corner for his first goal of the season. Pato, of course, celebrated in Pato style right in front of the Burnley fans and it wasn't long before he was doing just the same.

This time Dean Marney played him through with a delightful ball between the central defenders. Pato was onto it but his shot was just too close to Ruddy who was able to get a touch on it to slow it down. It seemed to take an age as the Burnley fans willed it to cross the line but eventually it went far enough over for even Mark Clattenburg to give it against the home team at Old Trafford.

From that point up to half time we played some delightful stuff and could so easily have added another goal. It didn't seem hugely important at the time but it would surely have taken us too far away from Norwich and just about guaranteed a win.

I only had a couple of grumbles towards the end of the half and they were, I suppose, minor grumbles. I wasn't happy with the excessive showboating on the field and I'm still not sure why some of our fans prefer to aim chants at the opposition fans rather than in support of our own team.

Still, 2-0 up at half time, far and away the better team and surely we've just got to keep going and finally that first away win will be ours.

The teams came out for the second half. Burnley were unchanged but Norwich made a change with Anthony McNamee coming on for Simon Lappin. So what I thought, but that was to be the most significant of changes with McNamee leading us a merry dance during the second half.

He didn't changes things single handedly but what an influence he was as Norwich took control of events and pushed us back. You've got to give great credit to their manager Paul Lambert who changed the system, a system that wasn't working and turned the team into a second half force. I'll go as far as to say that they were probably the best side we've come up against all season in that second half, apart from the first twenty minutes from Swansea back in August.

A lack of support for Danny Fox was hanging him out to dry time and time again and you always sensed that should they get back into the game then it would come via McNamee.

We got through until the last twenty minutes when Brian Laws replaced Eagles with Ross Wallace. I was surprised it had taken us that long to make a change and I felt both Eagles and Rodriguez had reached the point where they were very fortunate to still be on the pitch.

Before Wallace could even dust off the dug out cobwebs we had conceded a goal. McNamee was obviously involved in the build up with Chris Martin, another substitute, swivelling to score from close range.

I sensed we might be up against it now and it really was all hands to the pumps. McNamee, via a deflection off Duff, hit the post and it did look a case of hanging on for our lives.

But then, it seemed as though Norwich had given everything. We started to get some of the ball, not much but some, and they stopped threatening us. To all intents and purposes it looked as though we'd seen them off and we'd see it through for a 2-1 win.

Then, the fourth official held up the board showing four further minutes. I'd no problem with that and expected no less. As always it was greeted by a positive roar from the home crowd and it did seem to give Norwich one last lift.

This time they got the ball into our box to Martin on the left. Mears closed him down and forced him into a bad ball. In went Carlisle to clear but it got a deflection of a Norwich player, and found its way from there straight onto the arm of Andrew Crofts.

How on earth he got away with it only the distant Trevor Kettle will know. This referee has a massive problem in that he can't get around the pitch and I'm not sure where he was at this point but he wasn't anywhere near where he could blow.

Our players stopped. They shouldn't have done. Hands went up. They shouldn't have done. Crofts shot, found the net and I bet he was amazed when he saw Kettle pointing to the middle.

We'd been done again - we'd lost the lead - we'd dropped late points. We were coming home with one point, a creditable draw some would say, when it really should have been three.

We did get a free kick for a foul that saw Crofts sent off. Maybe he'd have gone for the handball had Kettle seen it. Wallace took it and we got a corner which came to nothing and that, as they say, was that.

Arguments will continue through to Tuesday's game now. Some will use it as further ammunition against the manager; others will point yet again to the fact that we'd be fourth but for one late, late goal.

I'm glass half full as most people know, and I could point to the fact that only once in the last 37 years have we lost less games in the first fifteen than we've done this season. It's four years since we've scored more at this stage in a season and three years since we've conceded less.

The glass half emptiers will find statistics equally as convincing to show the current situation is not good enough.

But no matter what we present statistically, the only thing that does matter is the number of points we've won and the position we are in the league. Right now we've got 22 points from 15 games and are 9th. It doesn't matter that we were just that one late goal from sitting in fourth place; we did concede that goal. That's no more relevant than suggesting we'd been three places lower had Norwich got a third.

Position 9th - played 15 - points 22 - that's all that matters right now and we have to go out and improve on that if we are to get into a top six position. We're just about a third way through the season and there is no doubt that results have to improve, and they need to start improving very soon.

The teams yesterday were;

Norwich: John Ruddy, Russell Martin, Steven Smith (David Fox 53), Leon Barnett, Elliott Ward, Andrew Crofts, Korey Smith, Simon Lappin (Anthony McNamee 45), Wes Hoolahan, Simeon Jackson (Chris Martin 63), Grant Holt. Subs not used: Declan Rudd, Mathew Gill, Oli Johnson, Jens Berthel Askou.
Yellow Card: Andrew Crofts.
Red Card: Andrew Crofts.

Burnley: Lee Grant, Tyrone Mears, Clarke Carlisle, Michael Duff, Danny Fox, Graham Alexander, Wade Elliott, Dean Marney (Jack Cork 78), Chris Eagles (Ross Wallace 70), Martin Paterson (Chris Iwelumo 81), Jay Rodriguez. Subs not used: Brian Jensen, David Edgar, Leon Cort, Steven Thompson.
Yellow Card: Wade Elliott.

Referee: Trevor Kettle (Rutland).

Attendance: 24,519.