|
It all left Turf Moor buzzing as if we'd won a league whilst the deluded, almost offensive, Darren Ferguson charged after the referee and Preston goalkeeper Andy Lonergan looked prepared to take on all comers at the Jimmy Mac end of the ground.
You couldn't have scripted this finale in a Roy Race classic for Melchester Rovers, but, as buoyant as we were at the final whistle, the whole story of the afternoon has to be remembered and how we came so close to losing against a very average Preston side.
I'm not a fan of the tea time kick offs, but at least it did give me a couple of hours at home after the morning game. That one had ended in a 4-3 defeat and I certainly wasn't expecting to see the same scoreline again.
I hadn't realised, but since the last time the live television cameras captured a home win against North End, that was the night of the last minute Andy Gray winner in October 2006, they've got the better of us four times out of five although this time we were clear favourites which is not always the best thing in a derby.
There were no surprises when the teams were announced. David Edgar, as expected, came in for the suspended Tyrone Mears with fit again Michael Duff taking Edgar's place on the bench. Other than that, it was the same squad who had been on duty at Swansea two weeks earlier.
In past seasons, this match has provided the club with major problems; the repair of seats in the cricket field stand. This time most of those seats were empty. I wondered whether, maybe, Preston had forgotten to advertise the fixture, so few of them were there.
There were enough to applaud Graham Alexander when the Burnley team were read out. The name of Ross Wallace didn't receive similar, despite the fact the player hadn't been looking to leave Deepdale. The receptions they have given Grezza have reminded me of similar ones for Steven Caldwell at Sunderland and Ade Akinbiyi at Gillingham, Wolves and Bristol City. It has happened at Burnley too, with some players returning to play against us.
In each of the previous two home games it has taken us until first half stoppage time to get a lead but this time we got that first goal early. It was hardly expected. Preston had started the better of the two sides, but when Edgar and Martin Paterson combined down the right we won a corner.
Now, some say you should have players on both posts when defending a corner. Preston did that, but it proved to be of no help as Chris Iwelumo headed home Ross Wallace's flag kick with the ball going over the line off one of the said defenders Keith Treacy.
The, conveniently well positioned, assistant flagged that it had gone over the line and we'd got the early lead that would surely see us go on to dominate proceedings.
Not on your life, and I think it is fair to say that suggesting we were second best is something of an understatement. We were, quite simply, poor and Preston were by far the better side, and once they were level you sensed it wasn't going to be our day.
Now, the aforementioned Ferguson, watched by his dad, is one of those managers who sees what he wants to see and can't be bothered with the rest. He, very conveniently, forgot to see the handball by Adam Barton before he stroked the ball home to draw them level.
Barton, by the way, looked a very impressive player on this showing, but I don't think he will have a clue how he got away with this handball. Maybe not quite as blatant as the one on the line three seasons ago, but there again this wasn't Lee Mason, but it took some missing by referee Kevin Friend.
Soon after, Preston were dealt a blow when Josh King was stretchered off after a challenge by Danny Fox. Fox clearly got to the ball first but did catch the Manchester United youngster who is on a long term loan at Preston. It led to a bit of a skirmish between the obnoxious Billy Jones and the temperamental Wade Elliott with Friend, rightly, showing both yellow cards.
We really were struggling, and poor Edgar down our right was being exposed time and time again. I'm not suggesting our defenders were playing well, but in front of them it was a disaster area with Paterson, Alexander, Dean Marney and Wallace offering very little at all.
And so it was no real surprise when we fell behind. Treacy it was who got into a shooting position on the left. It was a tight angle, but a good finish and the team that had scored only one goal all season were 2-1 up against a Burnley side who hadn't previously conceded a goal at home.
Something needed to change, but as the players got a rollocking in the dressing room, two announcements outside saw home and away fans together as one as we paid tribute to the recently killed on duty Lance Corporal Jordan Dean Bancroft. That was followed by both sets of supporters being given the opportunity to show their support for former full back Gary Parkinson who is so desperately ill right now after suffering a stroke. Well done to both sets of supporters.
I thought we were better right from the start of the second half. We started it well enough and I even dared to suggest we might get a quick equaliser and then maybe go on to win the game. Marney had our best effort, Lonergan saving well, and he was also involved in the next incident that left Preston's other Manchester United loanee, Matty James, leaving, like King, on a stretcher.
This time it was James who had fouled Marney with the Burnley midfielder landing on him. That's how it happened, not Ferguson's interpretation.
Unfortunately we weren't able to create much else, and by the time we decided to make some changes of our own on the hour it looked as though that early lift had faded.
Jack Cork and Chris Eagles came on for Marney and Paterson and it gave the whole place a lift. Eight minutes later, Jay Rodriguez replaced Edgar with Elliott dropping to right back. All three of those substitutes were to play their part, but of the three, for me, Cork proved to be the most influential as he provided us with the movement and energy in midfield that was so lacking.
Even so, it went from bad to worse before it came close to getting better, and when Preston got their third I realised it just couldn't be our day. Treacy got the better of Elliott down their left, but his cross should not have provided any danger.
Unfortunately, the otherwise impressive Andre Bikey, lost the less than mobile Jon Parkin who, it has to be said, finished well. "If Parkin can score a goal like that then it definitely isn't our day," I thought.
"Wallace, Wallace, what's the score?," sang the North End fans who were taunting their former player. They knew, as I did, that they'd got the points all wrapped up.
A few minutes later we should, without any doubt at all, have had a penalty. Preston, in recent years, have found getting penalties against us a very easy task, even when there hasn't been an offence. It's happened far too often. But I suppose I can believe anything since Mason missed that handball here, but here we were again with Friend culpable yet again.
I still find it hard to believe he missed the handball on their first goal, and this one was just as difficult to fathom. Even Stan Ternent's blind man would have seen it from his galloping horse. Eagles brilliantly worked his way into position to cross the ball on the right and it eventually found Cork who headed towards goal only to see it blocked by Jones' hand.
It should have been a penalty no question. Jones at best should have had a yellow card, and that in itself would have brought a red. Grezza would have scored and we'd have had around a quarter of an hour against ten men to look for an equaliser.
I thought we'd been robbed of that chance. We were much the better side now and Preston were finding themselves under threat, so none of this nonsense that the game changed with the red card that did come the way of Jones just a couple of minutes later.
It was a funny one too; wasting time at a throw in. I'm not sure the hapless Friend would have carded him had he realised he'd already got his first yellow, but card him he did and Jones was on his way just a few minutes after he should have been.
I didn't think that would do us any favours. 3-1 up away from home and down to ten men; you just go 4-4-1, don't show too much adventure and the losing side will not get much in the way of opportunity. Perhaps this is why I've never been a football coach.
To put it simply, we battered them. Eagles gave the ball away, but it was won back superbly by Wallace who found Alexander. He in turn found Iwelumo on the edge of the box and the striker got his second with a real goal of the season contender, a volley into the bottom corner.
Game on now, and if that move had started with Eagles giving the ball away he was to go on, almost unnoticed, to twice play a vital part. Before that, from another cross, Jay Rod got up almost Paul Fletcheresque as he just failed to hit the target.
Preston were under real pressure. We got a corner on the left which they cleared, and who was it bursting a gut to get to the ball? Yes, Eagles. He was in their penalty box but got himself right back to the half way line to get to the ball first. Fantastic stuff, but it was jeered by the home crowd because he then played it back to Jensen.
The goalkeeper played it to Fox who got it out to Alexander and again Grezza found Big Chris who headed home brilliantly to bring Burnley level. It was a first Burnley hat trick since Andrew Cole's at QPR (see footnotes) and here we were, level and just a few minutes away from a precious point.
The clock showed 87:45 when that goal went in and incredibly only another 1 minute and 27 seconds had passed when Lonergan was picking another one out. Jensen rolled the ball out for Bikey on the left and the Cameroon defender hit a long diagonal ball towards Iwelumo. Preston dealt with it at the expense of a corner.
Here again the alertness of Eagles played a massive part. He and Wallace combined to take the corner so quickly that when Wallace's cross came over Jay Rod was totally unmarked to head home the winner. I've not seen such poor defending at a corner since Rafa Benitez' zonal marking was in its pomp.
Just a few minutes earlier I'd been hoping for a good period of stoppage time, but when Eddie Ilderton finally stepped up with the board I could have done with a good deal less than five minutes.
It didn't matter; Preston huffed and puffed and got the ball into our box a couple of times but the only real opportunity fell to us.
We'd turned certain defeat into victory. The celebrations in the stands when the goal went in, and repeated at the final whistle, was equalled on the pitch and in the technical area as players, subs and staff celebrated this unlikely turnaround. "Wallace, Wallace, what's the score?" chanted the Burnley fans as they baited the few in the cricket field stand.
There was only time left for a Fergie rant, for Lonergan to get over excited and for one poor Preston fan to find her match programme had been damaged. I'm sure if she contacts our club shop they'll be able to find a replacement.
Was it all good? No, is the answer, far from it. The end was wonderful; but it can't mask the difficulties we had, particularly in the first half of the game. There is no doubt that Laws will have to look at making changes to a side that has been the same for all league games this season, other than when injuries and suspensions have forced changes in the back four. But for now we've beaten Preston, we are still fifth in the league. and I think we all know we can play better than that.
The teams were;
Burnley: Brian Jensen, David Edgar (Jay Rodriguez 68), Clarke Carlisle, Andre Bikey, Danny Fox, Graham Alexander, Wade Elliott, Dean Marney (Jack Cork 59), Martin Paterson (Chris Eagles 60), Chris Iwelumo, Ross Wallace. Subs not used: Lee Grant, Michael Duff, Leon Cort, Steven Thompson.
Yellow Card: Wade Elliott.
Preston: Andy Lonergan, Billy Jones, Craig Morgan, Sean St. Ledger, Callum Davidson, Paul Coutts (Paul Hayes 65), Matty James (Darel Russell 54), Adam Barton, Keith Treacy, Josh King (Paul Parry 28), Jon Parkin. Subs not used: Andreas Arestidou, David Gray, Wayne Brown, Chris Brown.
Yellow Cards: Billy Jones, Craig Morgan, Sean St. Ledger.
Red Card: Billy Jones.
Referee: Kevin Friend (Leicester).
Attendance: 15,509.
Footnotes
Brian Jensen played his 250th league game for Burnley - click HERE for more on that.
Chris Iwelumo became the 77th player to score a hat trick for Burnley. The last three hat tricks, scored by Gifton Noel-Williams, Andrew Cole and Iwelumo have all been in games when Burnley have come from two goals behind to win, against Barnsley, QPR and Preston. The last two of them have been in games refereed by Kevin Friend. Click HERE to see Burnley's hat tricks.
The winning goal was the sixth Jay Rodriguez has scored for Burnley, coming twelve days short of two years since his first against Fulham. All six have been scored at the Jimmy McIlroy end of Turf Moor.