|
You make your own luck, and by the very fact that we failed to score a goal in ninety minutes we didn't deserve to win the game, but rest assured this Burnley side will play far worse and win.
The first difficulty we had was getting a team out onto the pitch. We were down to fifteen professionals which included Garreth O'Connor, who hasn't started a game for the Clarets since March 2006, and 18-year-old Jay Rodriguez who was still to taste first team football. To add to that we had no right back with Graham Alexander suspended and Michael Duff on the long term injury list.
As expected Stephen Jordan came into the back four to replace Alexander. I'd expected Clarke Carlisle to take the right back spot but instead it went to captain Steven Caldwell. Elsewhere it was the same as the side that had drawn with Sheffield Wednesday whilst the extra place on the bench was taken by 17-year-old youth team midfielder Adam Kay who had been registered on the Friday and allocated the number 25 shirt.
Bristol City boss Gary Johnson left out both Enoch Showunmi and Lee Trundle, the two strikers who had started against West Brom, and played Darren Byfield up front in a 4-1-4-1 formation.
Prior to kick off both sets of supporters observed a minute's silence following the death of club president Doctor Iven. So impeccably was it observed that the only thing to be heard was the sound of the flag, flying at half mast, blowing in the wind. It was a great tribute to a man involved with our club for over sixty years.
If the opening exchanges set the pattern for a game then we looked as though we might be in some real trouble against a Bristol City side right up there in the play off positions. They tore into us from the off and could have easily had a goal or two in the first ten minutes. Much of the problems were down our left hand side where Northern Irish international Ivan Sproule was giving Stephen Jordan a torrid time in his first game at left back since the home defeat against Hull.
Gabor Kiraly had an early save to make from Sproule. It was a decent enough save but one you would expect him to make but the next time he was called into action he pulled off a brilliant stop to deny Jamie McCombe with a header. Gabor is putting a collection of these together and this one wasn't far behind the save he made from James Beattie at Bramall Lane back in November.
Thankfully their pressure didn't last for long. Jordan's nightmare start soon came to an end and he got the better of Sproule for much of the rest of the game, and they never really put us under any sort of pressure once that early blast had passed.
Soon the Clarets were in the ascendancy and it was the turn of visiting goalkeeper Adriano Basso to get into the action. He saved from Robbie Blake and then turned a goal bound effort from Kyle Lafferty round the post at the expense of a corner.
Basso could only watch helplessly when Robbie played in Ade Akinbiyi on the right hand side. Ade's shot from a tight angle beat the Brazilian keeper but to City's relief hit the foot of the far post and eventual safety.
Just as they had done in the opening exchanges, we were now giving them lots of problems down their left. They didn't seem to have an answer to Wade Elliott, the player very much in form for the Clarets, but as we pressed for a lead there was another disaster waiting at the back.
Carlisle, only back in the side this week following injury, pulled up again with a recurrence of his hamstring problem. He had to come straight off and that led to a reshuffle. Steve Jones came on with Elliott going to right back and Caldwell moving into a more familiar central role in the defence. The change really did take away our most potent attacking option with Elliott dropping into the back four.
It was still the Clarets on top. The once again impressive James O'Connor fired just wide and then close to half time Ade once again hit the post. He pounced on a loose ball and was so unlucky to see his first time effort hit the very same post he'd hit earlier in the half.
There was to be no repeat of the first half from Bristol City and we continued where we had left off before the interval. Ade got on the end of a through ball from Robbie but the angle wasn't good and he fired his shot into the side netting.
Again O'Connor all but got on the end of a good move but a City defender got a block in just in time. Surely a goal would come if we could continue like this, but when it did it was at the other end.
In one move it looked as though we might have won a penalty but the referee spotted that there were two balls on the pitch. The guilty party was City boss Johnson who pleaded his innocence and was allowed to stay on the touchline.
He got away with that but after being on top for the first twenty minutes and more of the second half we fell behind when Lafferty conceded a free kick on their right, almost on the touchline. Michael McIndoe crossed to the far post and it found Tamas Vasko totally unmarked and he made no mistake from close range.
It really was an unjust scoreline but we'd just over twenty minutes to turn it round, and we almost did it within a couple of minutes. The ball was played into Ade and he turned his defender and hit a shot on the turn which, yes you have guessed it, hit the post.
It was as near as we came. Lafferty should have done better with a header whilst Ade put a shot wide. Coyle sacrificed Jordan to get an extra forward on with just five minutes to go and that meant a debut for Jay Rodriguez. But it was not to be a fairy tale start for the youngster as Bristol City run the clock down to take the points and third place in the league.
This really was an unjust result but if you don't score, you don't win. At least we'll have two of the suspended players back for the trip to Blackpool although former Seasider Carlisle will miss the game with injury.
Graham Alexander will surely return as will Chris McCann. I expect McCann to partner O'Connor in the midfield. Coyle said if a player plays well then he'll keep his place. That surely applies to O'Connor who has returned to the side and played well in all three games. Again in this match I make him man of the match, and in fairness by some distance, although I do think Wade would have run him close had he been able to play the whole game in his favoured position.
That's eight home games without a win now, or put another way we have collected three of the last twenty-four points available. It has to change, but our next home game is against Plymouth. Things often take a turn for the better when we play them.
The teams were;
Burnley: Gabor Kiraly, Steven Caldwell, Clarke Carlisle (Steve Jones 33), David Unsworth, Stephen Jordan (Jay Rodriguez 86), Wade Elliott, James O'Connor, Jon Harley, Kyle Lafferty, Ade Akinbiyi, Robbie Blake. Subs not used: Brian Jensen, Garreth O'Connor, Adam Kay.
Bristol City: Adriano Basso, Bradley Orr, Tamas Vasko, Jamie McCombe, Jamie McAllister, Marvin Elliott, Ivan Sproule, David Noble (Brian Wilson 80), Lee Johnson, Michael McIndoe, Darren Byfield (Lee Trundle 61). Subs not used: Chris Weale, Christian Ribeiro, Enoch Showunmi.
Referee: Clive Oliver (Northumberland).
Attendance: 12,109.