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Backed by their largest away following of the season – somewhere in the region of 3,000 – Burnley took to the pitch sporting their yellow and black kit. Which threw up the first talking point of the evening. Why on earth were the Clarets playing in this much-loathed "commemorative" strip, when there would have been no colour clash had we played this tie in our traditional claret and blue?
Call me a misguided cynic, but the answer seems simple. This was an attempt to advertise club merchandise. With a captive audience of 3,000 Burnley supporters, this was too good an opportunity for the club’s commercial arm to pass up. There may well only have been 500 of these shirts made, but I am sure if the demand grew, you might just be able to twist the club’s arm into ordering a few more.
But if we thought the kit was strange, then it had nothing on the line-up the manager chose to deploy in the first half. Opting for a 4-3-3 formation, the Clarets lined up with Briscoe, Gnohere, Cox and McGregor in defence, whilst Gareth Taylor Ian Moore and Robbie Blake provided a three-pronged attack.
But the biggest bone of contention was Stan Ternent’s midfield. Alan Moore and Tony Grant tucked inside on the left and right respectively, whilst Steve Davis was asked to play to anchor the middle. Frankly, it never looked like working. At a stretch, on a good day, in a four man midfield, against inferior opposition, you can glimpse the logic of asking The Skip to play in front of, and protect the back four. But quite what Ternent was thinking of when he asked Alan Moore and Tony Grant to play narrow beggars belief. Too many players (all the midfield, in fact) were out of position and looked extremely uncomfortable.
Denied any width, and unable to attack centrally, Burnley resorted to the long ball game. Taylor’s head was the only target, as the Clarets looked to bully Huddersfield out of the game. Unfortunately, Taylor was having an off night. Nothing was sticking, with the result that the opening forty-five minutes saw the Terriers dominate possession and create the best openings.
I would dearly love to tell you who the key players were during the home side’s better moments, but their kit made it impossible. Thin red letters on the back of Huddersfield’s shirts were illegible, making it exceptionally difficult to tell who was who. Half time duly arrived with Burnley somehow still on level terms, and still in the competition.
During the interval, Ternent must have come to the conclusion that his 4-3-3 had been hopelessly ineffective, reverting instead to a straight 4-4-2. Ian Moore switched to the right wing, allowing Tony Grant to revert to his favoured central role, which in turn freed up Alan Moore to patrol the left flank. Taylor and Blake now led the attack.
Almost instantly, the Clarets looked a better side. With players deployed in their favoured positions, with the exception of Davis who looked out of his depth all evening, the visitors carried more of a threat going forward. On 55 minutes Ian Moore had a diving header, and minutes later Blake’s deft touch set up Steve Davis who forced a good save from keeper Bevan.
Moments later hearts were in mouths as Ian Cox, caught dallying on the edge of his own area, gifted possession to Huddersfield and Beresford had to be at his smartest to thwart the Terriers. It wasn’t to be the last time.
Burnley regained the initiative, and a break-through seemed imminent. Alan Moore tried a snap-shot and just 60 seconds later Gareth Taylor, chasing a through ball down the left hand channel shinned his effort into the travelling support.
With just under a quarter of an hour to go, Blake was replaced with Dimi as the Clarets looked to finish the tie in normal time. They almost did with a Gareth Taylor header, which Bevan did brilliantly to keep out. From the resultant corner, the ball fell to King Arthur who produced what can be most benevolently described as a defender’s shot.
Shortly afterwards, Alan Moore was replaced with Graham Branch. His impact was instantaneous. Linking well with Lee Briscoe he let rip from 20 yards, forcing Bevan into another fine stop. That was to be the last significant action of normal time. And as the rain began to fall on the McAlpine, the Burnley 3,000 girded their loins for another thirty minutes of cup football.
The opening period was instantly forgettable save for one magical moment. Winning a tackle in midfield, Tony Grant (no, I couldn’t believe it either), played a delightful through ball for Papa to run on to. Bearing down on the Terriers’ goal, Dimi slipped the ball beneath the advancing Bevan to give Burnley the advantage.
The second period saw the Clarets sit deeper and deeper and deeper. And deeper. By the time Paul Cook replaced Tony Grant five minutes from time, Burnley were doing their best to repeat their performance at The Bradford and Bingley Stadium. The consequences almost proved to be as disastrous.
With time fast running out, Huddersfield were throwing bodies forward - and it almost paid off. A strike from the edge of the area was superbly deflected onto a post by Beresford. Immediately, the ball was fired back toward the Burnley goal and penalties seemed on the cards. But Beresford had other ideas. Picking himself up off the floor, he hurled his frame in the way of the advancing shot, and the ball was hooked away to safety. This was heroic stuff from Marlon, and thanks to him Burnley’s supporters were able to make the journey back over the Pennines dreaming of the possibility of a third round, money-spinning tie against a big Premiership club. Or Blackburn Rovers.
