Papadopoulos was the biggest positive

Last updated : 02 September 2002 By Steve Cummings

Gone is the stigma of being the only team in the football league to get off the mark, the big fat zero in the points column having finally been banished, albeit at the fifth attempt. And whilst Saturday afternoon hardly produced a bonanza of free-flowing football from either side, at least Burnley now have a base on which to build.

Given the Clarets parlous position at the foot of Division One, one needs to draw as many positives as possible from Saturday’s game. The problem is, that aside from kick-starting the season, there wasn’t an awful lot else to be positive about. But here goes. NTG, so obviously suffering from a lack of confidence since his return to the fray at the back end of last season, managed to register a clean sheet – although not without a helping hand from Lady Luck, who chose to visit her benevolent influence on the couple of occasions during the first half, when communications between Nik and Mark McGregor were less than crystal clear.

But the biggest positive from Saturday was Dimitrios Papadopoulos’ full debut for Burnley. The Greek U-21 captain turned in a performance full of running and enthusiasm. In fact Papa may very well have won us three points, had the referee witnessed the blatant shirt-pulling which should have yielded a penalty for the Clarets. (Which was strange really, when you consider that he booked many players for something and nothing.) It is typical of Burnley’s luck at the moment that the appeal was turned down. As is the fact that no sooner has Dimi been given the chance to impress, than he is being whisked away on international duty, meaning he will miss next Saturday’s fixture at Pride Park, along with Gareth Taylor. Still, it shows how much the Clarets have progressed in recent times that I am moaning about international call-ups.

However the clean sheet and Papa’s pleasing performance were just about the only positives to focus on, as we left Turf Moor. Because for all Stan’s post-match comments about "little acorns", this was another unconvincing display from the home side.

Crystal Palace started the better of the two sides, and on another day would have gone in at the interval a couple of goals to the good. That they didn’t was down to a combination of Dougie Freedman’s poor finishing and the intervention of the afore-mentioned Lady Luck. Communication between NTG and the defence wasn’t always - how might I put this – all it could have been. Again this is a problem which must be remedied with urgency.

Not that the back line was aided by a midfield which variously ran around like a headless chicken to little effect (Johnrose), or looked as if passing a ball to feet was an alien concept (Tony Grant). Consequently, the visitors won the midfield battle in the first half, which allowed them to create chances. One time Burnley target, Dele Adebola, looked particularly strong and it was easy to see why Ternent had attempted to lure him to Turf Moor.

Chances for the Clarets in the first half were limited to a number less than one. Again the midfield was the area found wanting. This time the finger had to be pointed at Glen Little. I don’t know what has happened to our talisman in recent times – suggestions put forward include a lack of fitness and ,alarmingly, a lack of desire - but the law of diminishing returns is in full effect. Taylor, as per usual, did everything asked of him and the impressive Papadopoulos ran his socks off. Yet, as Ternent noted after the game, Burnley’s creative players need to find the Greek if he is to make an impression on the scoresheet.

Had it been possible to bottle the second half, it could easily have been marketed as a cure for insomnia, as both sides engaged in a competition of who could hit the ball hardest and / or highest. This was truly dire stuff, the match descending into a midfield scrap. Aside from the non-penalty incident and a Gareth Taylor snapshot, the only other incident worthy of note was the injured Matt Clarke being substituted for Alex Kolinko. One can only assume that the reserve keeper was glad to get off the bench as it significantly reduced his chances of being assaulted by the humourless Trevor Francis.

Late appearances from Moore and Moore only served to underline the problems Ternent faces. In dropping the pair after recent sub-standard performances, the manager did the right thing. Yet the squad is so thin, that when push came to shove, he was left with little option but to give them a run out. That having been said there exists a school of thought which would rather see the likes of Anthony Shandran and Andrew Waine given an opportunity to stake a claim, rather than constantly turning to the same old faces week in week out.

Finally, here’s some food for thought. The last time we visited Pride Park was, appropriately, one of our proudest moments in recent history, as we knocked Derby County out of the FA Cup. Since then we have won promotion, brought in better players and established ourselves in Division One. But can you honestly tell me that you will be travelling down to Derby on Saturday feeling more confident of putting them to the sword than you were last time out? No, I thought not.