This was so different from the stale performances of recent weeks. This time we moved the ball quicker and played at the sort of tempo that got the Turf Moor crowd going and I felt we played as well as we've played all season for a spell in the first half.
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| First Burnley goal for Marvin Bartley |
It had been a good day all round. I'd watched Steven Hewitt bag a late winner for the youth team before getting home to see John Terry's mistake hand the points to Arsenal at Chelsea.
Even better was to come. As we made our way up Yorkshire Street towards the Turf came confirmation of Swansea's win over Bolton followed by the controversial Norwich equaliser against Blackburn, showing it's not just us who get done at Carrow Road with a shocking stoppage time decision.
It was a day when we were thankful for the new pitch. The rain had poured down during the day and a couple of seasons ago the talk would have all been about a potential postponement. We no longer have any such problems and the only comment yesterday, as we enjoyed our pre-match pint, was that they would still probably have the sprinklers on.
Inside the ground there were some colourful banners on displace. Blackpool had one displaying 'OYSTON OUT'. It looked old and ragged but that particular campaign has been running for years, ever since Owen Oyston (who was at the game yesterday) took over the club.
No outing for the home fans. One banner made it clear that we wanted 'KEAN IN' and another confirmed we all liked chicken in support of Venky's and Agent Kean.
But it was Burnley v Blackpool and the team news came in with no surprises for Burnley. Junior Stanislas returned after being cup-tied on Tuesday, Charlie Austin was back in after being used as a sub for two games because of a toe infection whilst Andre Amougou was, as expected, dropped to the bench although he didn't stay there for long.
Blackpool named Kevin Phillips in their side and, despite now being 38, he's a player who always concerns me. He's been a damn good player and I've seen him have some good games against the Clarets. Also there was Barry Ferguson, and surprisingly I never once heard any reference to his former Lancashire club from the Longside.
We defended the Jimmy McIlroy end in the first half. It's what we prefer to do and we usually get our better results playing that way although this season the only win has come when we've played the other way first, against Nottingham Forest.
I so wanted a different sort of performance from those I've endured recently, but the early signs weren't too good. Blackpool started the brighter and Jonjo Shelvey, one of their two players on loan from Liverpool, had the first chance but missed his shot completely after being set up by fellow Liverpool player Tom Ince. We've heard a lot about Ince, who was watched by his dad Paul in the stand, be he offered nothing in this game.
Brian Easton, in trying to recover an error, injured himself in the build up to that chance and he was trying to run it off when, on the other side, a David Edgar error could have proved very costly.
It was, without doubt, a concerning start, and then Easton left the pitch for treatment. We played with ten men for a couple of minutes before Amougou came on with Ben Mee switching to left back. Almost immediately we improved. We looked better balanced and we started to take the game to Blackpool.
I whinged on Wednesday about the football I'd been watching. The Cardiff game had tipped me over the edge after I'd endured another ninety minutes of torturously slow play, but now we were moving the ball quicker, getting forward quicker, and it was infinitely better.
Once we were able to get the ball wide and get up the pitch we looked a totally different side and we started to torment Blackpool, particularly down the right and it was from there that we almost set up a goal.
A ball played down the right by the hugely impressive Ross Wallace allowed Charlie Austin to give chase with Ian Evatt. The defender appeared to have won the day but then gave the ball away to Austin who moved into the box before crossing low for the incoming Jay Rodriguez. Only an intervention form Craig Cathcart prevented an opening goal.
We didn't have long to wait though. We won yet another corner on the right hand side. Wallace and Junior Stanislas combined and when Stanislas got in a peach of a cross it was met by Austin with a diving header that simply flew into the roof of the net.
It was all Burnley now, in what was the most impressive football we've seen all season, and you sensed a second goal might not be far away. Indeed it wasn't.
We won a free kick on the edge of the box when Stephen Crainey handled the ball after a link up between Jay Rod and Austin. Quite how referee Michael Oliver deemed it a yellow card rather than a red only he will know, but I'd reported on Friday my concern that this referee gets too many bit decisions wrong.
Crainey might have got away with it, but Blackpool didn't. The free kick wasn't in a brilliant position, probably too close to goal (just a couple of yards outside the penalty box) and very central. From our vantage point I could see Wallace, Kieran Trippier and Amougou discussing who should take it.
Discussion is probably not the right word, but Wallace made it clear to Amougou who was going to take it and then the Scot hit the kick right into the postage stamp to the goalkeeper's left. It was almost Robbie-esque in its execution, a wonderful free kick.
We looked comfortable; we looked by far the better side, and a third goal in the first half would have ended it there and then. It didn't come but there was one more major talking point as Mee went down in a challenge with Shelvey right in front of our technical area.
Now if that wasn't a clear red card challenge then I'm not sure what is. It was a leg breaker and Shelvey must have known he was off. Incredibly, ridiculously, Oliver waved yellow and what should have been nine man Blackpool was still eleven.
Who knows what might have happened in the second half had it been 11 v 9, but with all the players still on the pitch it was no surprise that Blackpool did step things up. They forced us onto the back foot at times and eventually we were forced into doing some defending.
We did it well too, particularly Edgar who was in fine form in the centre of defence and having his best game in Burnley colours. When they did get through they found Grant in assured form. His handling was excellent and there was certainly one good save when he got a touch onto a shot to force it onto the outside of the side netting.
Ian Holloway, set for a night out with Burnley fans, didn't want to be facing the music from them and made a triple substitution including the somewhat portly looking figure of former Newcastle forward Tresor Lomana Lua Lua, who was sent off in his first appearance at Turf Moor in 1999 when at Colchester.
Edgar again came to the rescue before, with just over ten minutes remaining, we put the game to bed and again there was some outstanding work from Austin. He skipped past the defender down the right hand side and pulled the ball back for Marvin Bartley who made no mistake with a shot into the corner for his first Burnley goal.
Austin then proceeded to miss the easiest chance of the game when he screwed a shot wide after being set up by Chris McCann. The striker was my man of the match and that didn't change with this miss. Strikers miss chances, that's what they do, but they are always there when the next chance comes along.
Austin has scored goals now in seven of our thirteen league games this season. That's an impressive return and I'm convinced there is a lot more to come from him.
Had that chance gone in then a 4-0 win would really have looked good, but in the end it was 3-1 with us, yet again, conceding a late stoppage time goal. It was a shame that the mistake was Edgar's given his performance, but it was and when the ball reached Shelvey he made room for himself before hitting a shot into the bottom corner. Yet again, a player who should not have been on the pitch scored a goal.
So what could have been 4-0 ended 3-1 but who cares? This was a well deserved three points from, overall, a performance probably only bettered this season in the Southampton game.
There were some very impressive individual performances. I've mentioned Grant, Edgar, Wallace and Austin but there were others.
If Burnley continue to play like this then there will certainly be no complaints from me. Please Burnley, play like this. Go out and get that tempo in your game and get the ball moved as quickly as we did at times in this game.
Now we can welcome Sven's former team Leicester to Turf Moor and hopefully we can turn in a similar performance to this. This one was very definitely labelled 'Much Improved'.
The teams were;
Burnley: Lee Grant, Kieran Trippier, David Edgar, Ben Mee, Brian Easton (Andre Amougou 9), Ross Wallace (Dean Marney 88), Marvin Bartley, Chris McCann, Junior Stanislas (Keith Treacy 75), Charlie Austin, Jay Rodriguez. Subs not used: Jon Stewart, Zavon Hines.
Blackpool: Matt Gilks, Alex Baptiste, Craig Cathcart, Ian Evatt, Stephen Crainey, Jonjo Shelvey, Barry Ferguson, Keith Southern, Tom Ince (Callum McManaman 73), Kevin Phillips (Tresor Lomana Lua Lua 73), Brett Ormerod (Daniel Bogdanovic 73). Subs not used: Mark Howard, Neal Eardley.
Yellow Cards: Stephen Crainey, Jonjo Shelvey.
Referee: Michael Oliver (Northumberland).
Attendance: 15,614.