Proud end to season's travels

We'd lost to a relegated side with hardly a whimper. This time our last away game was against a side surely bound for the Premiership. The result was the same, a one goal defeat, but everything else about this performance couldn't have been further removed from that appalling shambles at the Den a year ago.

RK Sunderland knew they had been in a fight, they knew we'd fought them all the way and the mutual applause between Burnley fans and players at the end was genuine, we really could not have asked for more from our players who gave us just about everything and could so easily have been bringing at least a point home with them.

Anyone who thought it was going to be in for a quiet night got something of a rude awakening around five minutes before kick off. With the seats all round this impressive stadium filling our ears were giving one hell of a blasting from Prokovief as the teams prepared to come out. Our ears were not to get a rest until we left the stadium some time later.

Burnley thankfully again, as they did at Leeds, wore our traditional colours of claret & blue as they were led out by their former captain Steven Caldwell, and what a reception he received from the home fans, as did our manager Steve Cotterill. I have to add that Andy Gray was not afforded anything like the same welcome.

Wearside is not the happiest of hunting grounds for Burnley. It is 1972 since we last won a league game there, and the early stages of this game suggested the wait would go on. RK Sunderland came at us from the start, they moved the ball accurately and with some pace and we struggled to get into the game.

Brian Jensen had already made one good save to deny Carlos Edwards, but there was nothing he could do when they took the lead. It was a disappointing goal to concede, we should have done more to prevent the cross, we looked static in the middle, and goalscorer Daryl Murphy got round Jon Harley much too easily. It was the start we desperately didn't want, and we now had to try and get back into the game in front of this intimidating crowd.

The game continued in much the same way until the worst performer on the night, referee Trevor Kettle, made his first horrendous mistake. As Wayne Thomas stooped to head the ball away this fool incredibly pointed to the penalty spot. There are bad decisions, and there are bad decisions, but this was downright ridiculous, and I doubt even this incompetent could come up with words to explain it.

I was just receiving a text message from my RK Sunderland supporting friend, who was in the stand to my left, telling me it was a clear cut penalty, when Brian Jensen got down to his right to keep out David Connolly's spot kick with another fine save.

We don't get penalties like that, well let's face it we don't get penalties at all. That's not strictly true. The game changed following that nonsense and we started to play. Eric Djemba-Djemba played in Wade Elliott and the winger went down under a challenge from home keeper Darren Ward.

And for the first time since 2005 a referee awarded us a penalty, our first in 67 games. Yes, I know you won't quite believe it, so I will repeat that. And for the first time since 2005 a referee awarded us a penalty, our first in 67 games. "It's clear cut," I texted, but in fact it was no better a decision than the one at the other end. Kettle from his vantage point had to see the goalkeeper play the ball. We didn't care, Andy Gray didn't care, and in front of the home fans who had been giving him some stick he calmly slotted in the equaliser from twelve yards. Gray (pen) is how it will be recorded, at long last we've scored from a penalty. It's left one message board regular celebrating too, he's picked up a £100 plus prize from our Pay the Penalty competition. That took us to half time after a pulsating forty-five minutes and we'd fought back well and just about deserved to go in level at the interval.

If we'd done well in the first half, then we really silenced the crowd early in the second half with a stunning goal that was worthy of winning any game.

Wade linked up with Joey Gudjonsson who had come on for the injured Chris McCann during the first half. I don't think anyone could have expected a shot but from 30-yards Wade hit an absolute screamer that flew into the top corner of the net. I don't think the keeper even had time to move let along get anywhere near it.

We'd shaken them, the stadium for a short time went quiet, but we didn't hold the lead for long enough. Liam Miller played an excellent cross field ball, Carlos Edwards got to it past Harley and went down as Jensen came out. This one was a penalty, although there is no doubt at all that Edwards made damn sure he was getting it, he was looking to go down. Connolly stepped up again and once more hit the ball to Jensen's right, but this time the keeper went to his right and they were level again after just a few minutes.

I sensed then that we might have a real fight on our hands, but it wasn't the case and we played some of our best football of the night whilst having few problems at the back. Gudjonsson got in a shot that was only just wide whilst McVeigh forced Ward into a top save with a shot from just outside the box.

With ten minutes to go I was confident we'd get something but then the home side won it with a goal that was every bit as good as Wade's. It all started down in their left back position and they moved the ball up the field quickly. It reached Edwards and he left fly with a shot that flew into the top corner, incredibly going through Gudjonsson's legs on the way.

You just knew it was the winner, you knew we wouldn't come back, and I don't think we were able to create anything. The home side had chances to increase the lead as we committed men forward, but any further goals would have been very unfair.

Kettle finally blew the whistle to end his own personal nightmare and that signalled joyous celebrations around most of the stadium. But there was one small area where the visiting fans were also saluting their players, they'd done us proud make no mistake about that.

We've had a dark few months, but April has shown what we can do, and although I don't think we can say we deserved to win the game, we really could so easily have come home with something. No one could have argued if we had.

The applause didn't end inside the stadium either. As the coaches set off on their journey back to Lancashire they were applauded by the home fans as they were leaving. They knew what a fight we'd given them, they knew they'd just had as tough a game as they've had all season.

Man of the match - this really is a difficult one, there were good performances in all areas of the pitch starting with Beast in goal. He made good saves, important saves, and turned in an outstanding performance. There were so many to choose from, but given that his goal might not even be remembered now I'm going for Wade Elliott.

One game to go. We can't forget December to March, but let's go out on a high. We've enjoyed April so let's get a good performance against Coventry and take this form into the summer.

Well done Burnley, beaten by surely the best team in this league, our team can hold their heads up high.

The teams were;

RK Sunderland: Darren Ward, Danny Simpson, Nyron Nosworthy, Jonny Evans, Danny Collins. Carlos Edwards, Dean Whitehead, Liam Miller (Grant Leadbitter 73), Daryl Murphy, Anthony Stokes (Tobias Hysen 71), David Connolly (Stern John 86). Subs not used: Marton Fulop, Dwight Yorke.

Burnley: Brian Jensen, Michael Duff, Wayne Thomas, Steven Caldwell, Jon Harley, Wade Elliott (John Spicer 73), Eric Djemba-Djemba, Chris McCann (Joey Gudjonsson 29), Steve Jones (Ade Akinbiyi 58). Subs not used: Danny Coyne, Graham Coughlan.

Referee: Trevor Kettle (Rutland).

Attendance: 44,448.