On your Bikey

Last updated : 10 May 2009 By Tony Scholes
Clarke Carlisle
Clarke Carlisle - Man of the Match
It was amazing and unnecessary stuff from him. He gave a silly penalty away that Graham Alexander needed no second invitation to convert, and then ridiculously got himself sent off before turning in a performance that even bettered a John Terry led Chelsea show of dissent.

We're not complaining, it has given us a lead to take to the Madejski on Tuesday that hardly looked on the cards and at a time when I'm sure most Burnley fans, as I did, were happy to accept a 0-0 draw.

Six days earlier ahead of the Bristol City game I'd been remarkably calm but I have to admit to there being a few more nerves ahead of this one, and they got worse when I went for my pre-match pint only to be asked if I was nervous.

I wasn't the only one, there was a tension that comes with big games. And make no mistake this was a big game we were looking forward to, a very big game.

Again outside the ground it was quite subdued as fans nervously made their way inside but once through the turnstiles the atmosphere was building up nicely despite attempts to subdue them.

We knew there would be team changes. Rhys Williams had returned to Middlesbrough and was replaced, as expected, by Michael Duff who started his first game since the Sheffield Wednesday defeat in February.

Wade Elliott had no chance of making it either and Joey Gudjonsson came in for him and you had to go back to January and the 3-0 defeat at Watford to find his last start. Stephen Jordan came onto the bench to replace Joey as the numbers started to look very thin indeed. Thankfully Clarke Carlisle made it.

It didn't start well when we lost the toss and had to play towards the Jimmy Mac end in the first half. It's not something we like to do but we had beaten Reading playing that way first earlier in the season.

I suppose any chance of a start similar to that the week before was unlikely, but we did get forward quickly although our only real opportunity came from a free kick on the left taken by Robbie Blake that Marcus Hahnemann dealt with.

A quiet opening was interrupted with a foul by Michael Duberry on Joey that required treatment and eventually forced the midfielder off with just 21 minutes of the game gone. He was replaced by Kevin McDonald.

Both sides had struggled to create much but it was Reading who carried the greater threat and just after the Clarets made the switch we were once again thankful to goalkeeper Brian Jensen for keeping us level.

He made what initially looked like a very good save to deny Jay Tabb, but a second look shows it to be a superb save, making a one handed save to his right. He then quickly recovered to deny Leroy Rosenior.

Then he denied them again, parrying a header from a left wing corner before the return header was cleared off the line by Martin Paterson who was stationed on the back post.

Little had been seen of us as an attacking force but as the half time whistle blew I think 0-0 was probably fair.

There was little change in the second half with neither side really being able to create much but for me Reading almost looked the more likely. There were shots at either end but little to trouble the two goalkeepers and most efforts were coming in from distance.

Steven Thompson came on for Chris Eagles just before the hour as we switched formation but the game continued with both defences well on top.

Our best effort of the second half predictably was a shot from outside the box from Chris McCann which looked goal bound until a deflection took it over the top but then with just over ten minutes remaining we were thankful to still be level.

A ball down the left found Jimmy Kebe and he skipped past the otherwise excellent Clarke Carlisle. Steven Caldwell had to leave Dave Kitson unmarked to get across and all Kebe needed to do was square the ball but he hung onto it and Caldwell got in to take the ball away from him.

It had been a narrow escape and soon after things got even better for the Clarets. Thompson had his shirt tugged just inside the box by Bikey and referee Martin Atkinson had no hesitation in pointing to the penalty spot.

Bikey had a tantrum as the yellow card was waved at him and pulled his shirt over his head. He was somewhat fortunate it was only a yellow, many referees would have given a red card for that and a red would have kept him out of the second leg.

Alexander stepped up and did what he does best from the spot. Again he made no mistake this time hitting it to the keeper's left as he went right.

We didn't have any real problems hanging on to the lead but there was more drama to come in the third and last of the minutes added on. Bikey clearly stamped on Robbie and Atkinson, in close proximity, had no option whatsoever. Out came the straight red and Bikey went off on one.

Off came the shirt, it was thrown onto the ground, and he looked in total shock at the decision. As he finally stormed off his goalkeeper threw the shirt off the pitch. Last year's Turf Moor season ended with Andrew Cole chasing Darren Purse up the tunnel, this one was almost as dramatic.

Bikey will serve a suspension. If the FA does its job correctly that suspension will be extended because of his behaviour after the red card. The idiot will deserve everything he gets.

Seconds after he'd disappeared up the tunnel the final whistle blew and we will take that 1-0 lead to Reading on Tuesday.

We were perhaps fortunate to win it. It was a game that never really looked as though it was going to have goals in it with both defences on top. If anything I thought Reading were just the better side but this win meant we'd ended the season with six successive home wins and incredibly we've scored sixteen goals on the Turf without reply since Palace went 2-0 up against us back in March.

I can't look beyond the defence for the man of the match and it was a difficult choice for me between the two central defenders. I've gone for Carlisle, but would certainly not argue with anyone choosing Caldwell.

I wanted to be able to go to Reading on Tuesday with the tie still alive. It is very much that. I know we can do this. I know we can get through to the final.

COME ON YOU CLARETS

The teams were;

Burnley: Brian Jensen, Michael Duff, Clarke Carlisle, Steven Caldwell, Christian Kalvenes, Graham Alexander, Chris Eagles (Steven Thompson 58), Joey Gudjo(H)nsson (Kevin McDonald 21), Chris McCann, Robbie Blake, Martin Paterson (Jay Rodriguez 87). Subs not used: Diego Penny, Stephen Jordan.

Reading: Marcus Hahnemann, Liam Rosenior, Andre Bikey, Michael Duberry, Dan Harding, Jay Tabb, Marek Matejovsky, Brynjar Gunnarsson (Kalifa Cisse 85), Kevin Doyle (Dave Kitson 40), Shane Long, Jimmy Kebe. Subs not used: Adam Federici, Stephen Hunt, Jem Karacan.
Red Cards: Andre Bikey.
Yellow Cards: Marek Matejovsky, Andre Bikey.

Referee: Martin Atkinson (Leeds).

Attendance: 18,853.