Still waiting

There was a shock before kick off with a change of goalkeeper. Now surely we are not rotating our goalkeepers this season and I find it difficult to believe that Danny Coyne would be left out after just one game, so I can only assume he wasn’t fully fit.

That would have left him in good company on the bench alongside the injured Michael Duff and Danny Karbassiyoon, leaving only the two youngsters Chris McCann and Kyle Lafferty as available substitutes.

We started brightly and Micah Hyde, who scored his only Burnley league goal to date in the corresponding fixture last season, had a shot that went well wide. But the bright start didn’t last long and with just five minutes on the clock we found ourselves a goal down after a mistake by Graham Branch let them in down our right hand side.

Having said that the rather rotund Neil Shipperley was able to get to the near post cross far too easily to hit home from close range. It was already like being back in Austria, there was a mountain to be climbed.

It took us a while to recover from the shock but we did start to get back into the game, mainly down the right hand side where captain Frank was again in excellent form. He’s the oldest player in the side but you wouldn’t know it as he gets up and down the pitch from his right back position.

He and Elliott came close to creating an equaliser as both strikers almost got on the end of crosses, Ade must have been inches away from one Elliott cross whilst Gifton was really unlucky with a header from a cross that flew at him.

Saying all that the most spectacular effort came after the ball had been played in from the left as Ade was so, so close with an overhead bicycle kick, the likes of which we haven’t seen since the days of Tom Cowan.

It all proved to be in vain though as the Blades doubled their lead with a ridiculous goal. It all came from a corner that was poorly dealt with by Jensen but how on earth it bounced back into goal is anyone’s guess. Referee Halsey looked so astounded it took him some time to react to it.

Two goals down at half time with no possibility of changing things, it was beginning to look bleak and people were talking about conceding even more goals, and we haven’t conceded more than two at home in a league game since Easter 2004 when we went down 3-2 to Watford during our relegation fight.

We needn’t have worried on that score, apart from a couple of efforts Sheffield United never really troubled us in the second half as they appeared happy enough to sit on their lead.

How much of it was this and how much of it was a better performance from the Clarets is difficult to ascertain but we did dominate long spells in the second half but for much of it we weren’t really able to trouble Tyrone Dobbs in the Blades’ goal.

James O’Connor had a shot blocked, Gifton headed just wide and Ade almost got on the end of a cross but a goal didn’t look likely but then it came with much of the credit going to the play down the right hand side.

Micah Hyde, without doubt the pick in an otherwise poor midfield, played a superb ball for Frank to run onto. The skipper didn’t let us down and he got a good cross in that found Gifton who looked to be heading for his second goal in two games before Ade got in to hammer it home off the roof of the net.

We were in with a chance now and pushing forward at Sheffield United who made their intentions clear that they would defend their lead in the closing stages. Frank was forced off and replaced by Kyle Lafferty, making his home debut, and then we came close to the goal that would have won us a point.

Again it came from the right, this time Elliott, and the two strikers combined to get the ball to Garreth O’Connor. He shot well but Kenny saved well. He wasn’t called into action again and we ended with a second defeat.

The fight back was admirable but the result was a fair one overall, despite dominating spells of the game in terms of possession there can be no doubt that Sheffield United were the better side on the night and deserved the victory.

They do look as though they will be one of the promotion contenders but for us, it is becoming clear that extra bodies are required, and required quickly. We had two seventeen year olds on the bench last night as our only available substitutes and we need reinforcements.

The midfield has looked light weight in both games so far, there is not enough strength or pace in there and the two lads from Bournemouth are going to need more time and help as they take the step up.

I don’t think we are going to be in a relegation fight, I sincerely hope not, but there has to be some action taken and quickly if we are not to find ourselves down there and fighting to get out and all this has to be done with the back drop of an opening home game with less than 10,000 home fans in the ground, and that has to be a worry in the Turf Moor boardroom.

Again Frank was my man of the match, and we can only hope that the injury to his hamstring is no more than Frank. Micah run him close for the award and again Gifton did well up front whilst Wayne Thomas got stronger as the game went on.

We need more performances like that from these players and better performances elsewhere on the pitch – and that has to start on Saturday against Coventry.

The teams were,

Burnley: Brian Jensen, Frank Sinclair (Kyle Lafferty 82), Wayne Thomas, John McGreal, Graham Branch, Wade Elliott, Micah Hyde, James O’Connor, Garreth O’Connor, Gifton Noel-Williams, Ade Akinbiyi. Subs not used: Danny Coyne, Michael Duff, Danny Karbassiyoon, Chris McCann.

Sheffield United: Paddy Kenny, Leigh Bromby, Chris Morgan, Phil Jagielka, Jon Harley, Paul Ifill (Keith Gillespie), Nick Montgomery, Lilian Nalis, Michael Tonge (Rob Kozluk 81), Neil Shipperley, Danny Webber (Steve Kabba 86). Subs not used: Phil Barnes, Alan Quinn.

Referee: Mark Halsey (Bolton).

Attendance: 11,802.