Referee Miller sent to Coventry

Man of the Match Ade Akinbiyi

The visitors are still waiting for their new stadium to be given the all clear to host football games and this is therefore their third away game in a row this afternoon, having drawn against Norwich on the opening day and taking part in a 0-0 draw at Millwall midweek.

The referee for today’s game was Nigel Miller who has been involved in his fair share of controversy in the past when officiating Burnley games.

The heavens opened as the fans made there way to the game and we were hoping that not too many of the ‘walk on’ supporters would be put off by the Lancashire weather.

As the sides made their way out onto the pitch the absence of Frank Sinclair became obvious and he was replaced by a fit again Michael Duff who would go on to have a steady afternoon. The remainder of the team remained unchanged from midweek.

The Coventry team included the much talked about Gary McSheffrey and a familiar face in Dele Adebola.

The game kicked off in front of a crowd of 11,683 which included around 500 visiting supporters who by 4.50pm may had wished that they had gone to do a bit more summer shopping with the other half!

Burnley were attacking the Cricket Field Stand End and within the first two minutes had forced a corner and the resulting header from Gifton Noel-Williams was aimed slightly wide of Stephen Bywater’s left hand post.

Then a potential disaster struck as Wade Elliott left his ankle in a tackle and after several minutes on the sidelines limped back onto the pitch but it was obvious that he was not going to be able to continue and was eventually replaced in the twelfth minute by youngster Chris McCann.

Garreth O’Connor operated down the right flank and McCann worked the left wing and he will be reflecting tonight on what was a very fine performance. McCann himself would be substituted late in the game to allow Kyle Lafferty another few minutes of his football apprenticeship.

In the early stages of what should have been a free flowing, passing game the referee seemed intent on being the star of the show and continually blew his whistle and awarded free kicks for what seemed innocuous challenges. To the delight of Burnley supporters he would improve as the afternoon went on.

Despite a lot of huff, puff and possession Burnley managed only a tame effort by the magnificent Micah Hyde in the opening 25 minutes.

The Clarets continued their efforts towards the Coventry goal and were rewarded on 28 minutes when Ade Akinbiyi played a lovely ball through to Garreth O’Connor whose 20 yard shot was perfectly placed in the bottom right hand corner of the net leaving a despairing goalkeeper stranded helplessly.

So 1-0 to Burnley and it was no more than they deserved. In a stark comparison to the opening two games Steve Cotterill’s men were passing the ball with great confidence and the long ball tactics appeared to have been abandoned. And what a breath of fresh air it was to those of us watching from the stands.

And as the football was getting better so too was the atmosphere from the home crowd .

On 37 minutes The Clarets won yet another corner in front of The Bob Lord Stand and the ball was swung in by a vastly improved Garreth O’Connor, it was met at the far post by the head of Wayne Thomas. The big defender bulleted the ball past Bywater into the bottom left hand corner. 2-0.

Burnley were eventually awarded their first free kick after 40 minutes much to the delight of the crowd and it resulted in a standing ovation for Mr Miller. The official then became even more popular 2 minutes later.

As another wave of attack left the forwards camped in the Coventry box the assistant referee held his flag across his chest signifying that something untoward had happened and the referee immediately pointed to the spot.

Following consultation between the referee and his assistant Coventry’s Stephen Hughes was shown a straight red card and asked to leave the field, which he did some minutes later after hurling abuse and making threatening gestures to the officials concerned.

Once the mayhem had settled down Gifton Noel-Williams stepped up to take the spot kick and the ball eventually came to rest in row Z of The Cricket Field Stand.

With the last kick of the half Burnley’s summer target, Jamie Scowcroft chipped a stranded Brian Jensen only to see his shot rebound from the upright. Perhaps he was thinking that he should have joined Burnley after all?

After a juicy steak pie at half time the game resumed and Coventry seemed to have admitted defeat with still 45 minutes to play. They were lacklustre and would win virtually no tackles for the remainder of the game.

In contrasts Burnley were looking like a team that were on a thirty game unbeaten run and were passing the ball beautifully. Akinbiyi was at the centre of all things good up front but was being frustrated time after time when shooting just wide. The O’Connors and Hyde were running midfield and the defence and goalkeeper were more often than not mere spectators.

After 34 minutes of the second half Lafferty made his entrance for McCann and looked lively down the right hand side of midfield.

With just three minutes of normal time remaining Akinbiyi reaped what he had been sowing all afternoon and nestled the ball into the Coventry net. And the look on his face let the fans know just how much he enjoyed it and in the dying seconds Ade doubled his tally and sent the Burnley fans into rapture

The players left the field to a standing ovation whilst Mr Miller departed with a police escort to the tunnel.

It was a real pleasure to witness this afternoon’s game and a team that played controlled, fast flowing football and let us all hope that we continue to be entertained in this way in weeks to come.

My man of the match award was the toughest decision I have had to make all day and I was torn between three players.

Micah Hyde for the third game running was outstanding in midfield and I feel it is like having a new player in the team compared to last season.

Garreth O’Conner had by far his best game this season and this sort of performance will do wonders for his confidence.

But for his sheer effort and determination I would award my man of the match to Ade Akinbiyi.