Jensen, back in the side with Danny Coyne on the bench, had saved two penalties during normal time, nearly given another one away, and then saved another in the shoot out to see the Clarets through 4-2 and into round three.
Steve Cotterill had said there would be a change and there were two with Micah Hyde returning and Frank Sinclair joining Coyne on the bench. Hyde played at right back with Michael Duff in the centre alongside John McGreal.
It looked as though we were going to have a goal feast with both sides looking to get forward and Wolves should really have taken the lead in the early stages. It was Carl Cort who missed the chance and watching the striker you wonder just how on earth anyone ever paid £7 million for him.
It wasn’t one way though and the Clarets were getting forward with a lot of the good play coming from Jean-Louis Valois who was playing on the right hand side. His touch is excellent as his ability to switch play with a whole range of passes.
There was some bad news for the Clarets when defender McGreal was forced off just before the half hour to be replaced by Sinclair. We cannot afford injuries and certainly not to the major influence in our defence.
His absence had a major effect on the defence and in the very next attack we should have gone behind but South Korean international Ki-Hyeon Seol put a shot straight at Jensen when it looked a simple task to score.
Only a couple of minutes later we were nearly in front and Robbie Blake, who scored a stunner against Wolves a month ago, hit a shot from well outside the penalty box that crashed against the bar before flying over.
The closing stages of the half belonged to Wolves and they forced Jensen into his first real save of the evening before going in front with their next attack.
Suddenly we had no defence on the left hand side as Shaun Newton, the best player on the field all night, got down the wing and then came in to hit a low cross that Seol stuck in from close range.
It was a poor goal to give away and in the last minute of normal time in the first half. It was probably just about a fair reflection of the first half, Wolves had been the side creating chances and just about deserved it.
We weren’t behind for long and five minutes into the second half Robbie levelled it when a cross from Mo Camara was deflected to him in the box. He made no mistake and the Clarets were back in the cup tie.
And we should have been in front in the next few minutes as twice
We were having our best spell of the game and if it was going to be won this is when we should have done it. But the second goal didn’t come and Wolves got themselves back into the game with
With fifteen minutes to go, one save apart, Brian Jensen had not been called into any serious action and had just had to deal with routine balls. That was about to change as Hyde gave away a penalty.
Cort hit the spot kick to Jensen’s left but he guessed correctly, this after a long discussion with Graham Branch, and made an excellent save.
Five minutes later he was asked to do it again as Wolves won a second penalty. The referee initially awarded a free kick outside the box yet from the other side of the ground watching in the stand it was obvious that it was inside.
The assistant did nothing yet when the referee went to talk to him the decision was, quite correctly, changed. Why on earth we have an assistant who cannot be bothered until asked is anyone’s guess but that is so often the case.
Cort was having none of it and this time Keith Andrews stepped up, hit it to the other side and Jensen made an even better save.
The somewhat less than massive crowd was on its feet acclaiming the big Dane who was still to have his match winning moment not too long before the pubs closed.
There was still time for both sides to nearly win it – Wolves had a goal disallowed and then Sinclair missed the target yet again with a header from a set piece, this time a corner. Then right on time it was almost a third penalty as a Wolves player went down as Jensen dived in – but we got away with that one.
But when referee Taylor brought it to an end it was all square at 1-1 and we had got just what we didn’t want given the size of our squad, another 30 minutes of football.
There’s no doubt that the first half of extra time was all about Wolves. Jensen made a good save to tip one over the bar and then we had an amazing escape.
Somehow he contrived to hit his shot against the bar and the Clarets could breath again and in fact could have scored with our only real attack of the period when Chappy was sent clear by Robbie. He covered some ground but his pass to Ian Moore was too far forward of him and the chance was gone.
The last fifteen minutes saw us back into it and this time we should have won it. Duff headed wide but then our best chance of the night fell to Valois who hit his shot wide of the far post and that was it – we were set for penalties.
Who would take them? Nobody in the stand seemed to have an idea who the candidates would be other than Blake. As it happened they were Ian Moore, Richard Chaplow, Robbie Blake, Frank Sinclair and Jean-Louis Valois.
We went to the Jimmy Mac End and we went first with Ian Moore scoring. Up stepped Carl Cort and this time he gave Jensen no chance as he hit his spot kick against the post. 1-0 to
Then it was 3-1 as Robbie Blake scored for the Clarets and full back Lee Naylor made no mistake for Wolves.
Up stepped Frank Sinclair and he rocketed his into the roof of the net – that was 4-2 for the Clarets and one mistake from Wolves in their remaining two or a goal from the Clarets in our fifth was all that was needed.
We didn’t need to take the fifth as Jensen saved from Seyi Olofinjana and we were through.
It was around 10:30 by the time it was all over and the temperatures had dropped considerably but the home fans didn’t seem to care and they saluted man of the match Jensen and watched our tired players troop off.
After twenty years of not even making round two we have now gone beyond that stage for the third season in succession – I do like cup runs.
There’s no doubt who was the man of the match, save three penalties and you cannot fail to win the award. It was fully deserved.
Of the outfield players it was Chappy for me followed by
Many were criticising the referee over the penalties, I thought he had a good game and was never far from the action. The penalties looked fair decisions from where I was sat.
So we await our next opponents in tonight’s draw – I’m sure many will now be looking for the money in a high profile tie. Me, I’d like to see what we can do about getting into Round Four.
The teams were,
Burnley: Brian Jensen, Micah Hyde, Michael Duff, John McGreal (Frank Sinclair 28), Mo Camara, Jean-Louis Valois, Richard Chaplow, Tony Grant, Graham Branch, Ian Moore, Robbie Blake. Subs not used: Danny Coyne, Paul Scott, Joel Pilkington, Matt O’Neill.
Wolves: Michael Oakes, Mark Clyde, Joachim Bjorkland (Keith Lowe 59), Jody Craddock, Lee Naylor, Shaun Newton, Colin Cameron (Leon Clarke 27), Keith Andrews, Seyi Olofinjana, Carl Cort, Ki-Hyeon Seol. Subs not used: Matt Murray, Sammy Clingan, Lewis Gobern.
Referee: Paul Taylor (
Attendance: 5,013.