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International call-ups and injuries meant the Clarets had to make a number of changes. With Papa and Taylor representing their countries, the front pairing of Blake and Moore picked itself. The midfield also had a different look to it, with Paul Weller joining The Skip in the middle of the pitch. The defence was the only department of the team that remained unchanged, Graham Branch retaining the jersey following his highly effective performance at Hillsborough seven days earlier.
As is the norm at Turf Moor these days, a crowd bordering on 13,000 failed to generate any kind of atmosphere, although it should be noted that Walsall’s paltry contingent did little in the way of making any noise. This has become a problem at Turf Moor for most games these days, but it is difficult to know how to address the situation. One thing is for sure though – dancing majorettes and seven foot, break-dancing, cloth bees do not appear to be the answer.
Burnley began well, taking the game to the Saddlers. On 3 minutes, a fierce Graham Branch drive was saved well by James Walker, and a few minutes later Robbie Blake squared for Ian Moore only for his shot to be blocked by a Walsall defender. Moments later the visitors gave the first indication that the Clarets were not going to have it all their own way, when Jorge Leitao blazed over when one-on-one with Marlon. Despite the keeper appearing to get a touch, a goal-kick was awarded. It was not the last decision the hapless Brian Curson was to get wrong.
The Clarets continued to press forward. On 16 minutes a through ball from Graham Branch released Ian Moore in the left hand channel. Having done the hard work of rounding the keeper Moore was faced with two options, a) pull the ball back to an unmarked Robbie Blake, or b) attempt to defy the existing laws of physics by scoring from an impossibly tight angle. Moore chose the second option. Robbie showed laudable restraint by not lamping his strike partner.
On the half hour, Blake and Weller combined well to find Little in space, but his cross was just too far in front of Ian Moore for the striker to convert it. Walsall countered with a low shot from their best player, Steve Corica, which Beresford comfortably saved.
The stalemate was broken three minutes before the break. A well-weighted ball over the top from The Skip, played in Robbie Blake. As James Walker advanced off his line to block an anticipated shot, Blake deftly lifted the ball over the keeper and into the net. Burnley had an opportunity to double their advantage just prior to the interval, but Walker kept out Weller’s effort following a cross from Dean West.
The first fifteen minutes of the second half were instantly forgettable, the only incident worthy of the name occurring when the guy two seats to my left decided he was going for a pie. Whilst he was placing his order he missed Tony Grant coming on for Paul Cook. But he was back in time to see Glen Little’s curling effort from the edge of the box sail just over the Walsall bar.
Five minutes later Brad Maylett replaced a tiring Paul Weller, and began terrorizing the Saddlers’ defence. Burnley were beginning to exert more and more of an influence on the game. On sixty nine minutes Tony Grant played an absolute peach of a cross-field ball to Super Glen. In acres of space Little had plenty of time to look up and pick his spot. He sent over one of his impossible to defend trademark crosses, which fizzed across the six yard box. Ian Moore slid in and diverted the ball towards goal, but it needed a final touch from The Skip to make sure it was in. Well, I say it needed a touch, but what it actually got was a right old thump as Burnley doubled their advantage.
That should have been that. But this is Burnley. And no trip to Turf Moor can be said to be complete without the customary nerve-jangling last fifteen minutes. And boy, did they make our nerves jangle. Marlon had to produce a great save as Leitao was played in by Corica and blasted a shot goalwards. And then, inevitably, they scored with ten minutes remaining. Steve Corica floated over a corner which Marlon should have claimed. He didn’t and Gary Birch was on hand to set up a grandstand finish. Burnley tried to seal things up further by replacing Robbie Blake with Lee Briscoe with six minutes remaining.
Those final ten minutes seemed like an eternity, as Walsall laid siege to the Burnley goal with renewed vigour. They were greatly assisted by the home side’s inexplicable reluctance to either clear their lines or cross the halfway line. On one of their rare forays forward, Brad Maylett opened things up with his pace and played in Ian Moore whose rasping drive cannoned against Walker’s near post and away to safety. After four very long minutes of added time, Mr. Curson finally ended the agony for the claret and blue faithful and Burnley had recorded their third successive league victory.
After a miserable August, when the Clarets scored only one goal and took just one point, Burnley have dramatically improved. Without wishing to belittle the recent renaissance, perhaps a note of caution should be sounded. With the exception of Bradford and Derby, the Clarets have yet to face anybody in the top half of the table. That is all set to change though, with a trip to Leicester this weekend, followed by another away game at Ipswich. And then the all-conquering Portsmouth roll into town. The true extent of Burnley’s recovery will be most accurately gauged following the completion of this tricky trio of fixtures.