We're getting closer and closer

Last updated : 11 April 2009 By Tony Scholes
Chris Eagles
Chris Eagles - got the final touch to score the only goal of the game
Who cares how we got them? After last week's last minute disaster at Derby it didn't really matter and it won't matter for the rest of the season. We just need to accumulate those points and the one goal we scored from Chris Eagles (he got the last touch) helped us to 69 with four games still to go.

It was a good day all round. After spending the morning at Gawthorpe watching the youth team win yet again I was just enjoying the break between the two games when news filtered through that Charlie Adam had done us a massive favour.

We'd been linked with him earlier this season but he's one of the 21 Blackpool loanees and what a job he did today, scoring the only goal that saw off our closest challengers Preston. It shows what can be done at Deepdale if you don't get some fool constantly pointing to the spot and giving North End ridiculous penalties.

Finally inside Turf Moor came the news that Jay Rodriguez was getting his first start at the expense of Martin Paterson who was on the bench in an otherwise unchanged team from the Derby game. After four weeks away the pitch had a bit more grass on and it was surely the warmest afternoon we've had on the Turf since the parachutists landed, or tried to.

The QPR team didn't need introducing to their new manager. For one they are used to having a new man in charge and secondly this was Gareth Ainsworth and he's second hand having done the job before. Anyway, he'd kept his mouth shut just in case anyone posted his words on a message board - God forbid.

It all got underway with the football in the opening exchanges reflecting the bright weather. Wade Elliott put an early shot wide of target almost from the kick off whilst at the other end Brian Jensen made a good save although the flag had gone up for offside.

We were the better side but didn't create anything in the way of chances and it was at the other end where we nearly saw the first goal. Thankfully the Beast was quick to get down by his right post to prevent Rowan Vince netting in his first start in over a year following injury.

For a while we seemed to lose our way and the game went very stale for a period but in the run up to half time we came right back into it and more than once came close to grabbing the lead.

Radek Cerny hadn't had too much to do but he made a top save to keep out Graham Alexander after the midfielder broke through. It looked a goal but Cerny got down really well to save at the expense of a corner.

A goal looked as though it could be on the cards and we nearly got another Robbie special from a free kick. From out on the right it didn't look as though there was any hope of him finding any shooting space on the outside of the two man wall. But he did just that and again Cerny saved well.

When referee Mark Haywood blew the half time whistle QPR would have been happy to hear it. We'd really got at them in the closing stages of the half and built up some momentum.

Thankfully that momentum continued at the start of the second half and we came as close as we'd done in the very first minute after the restart. Jay tried to get onto the end of a right wing cross and won a corner taken by Robbie. Carlisle climbed to head the flag kick but came back off the post when it looked a certain goal.

That really got Turf Moor buzzing and three minutes later the same combination of Blake and Carlisle helped us to our first goal. Again Carlisle met Blake's corner with a good header and this time Chris Eagles turned it in from close range to lift Turf Moor.

For a while the visitors were struggling. Wade set up Eagles only for the goalscorer to hit a shot hopelessly wide, so wide that Elliott almost got onto it to turn it in. Carlisle had another superb header cleared off the line and Eagles almost caught out Cerny with a powerful shot from the right.

It needed another goal, a second would have killed off QPR. But it just wouldn't come and as time went on we got more anxious and I would say that was both on and off the pitch. In the latter stages of the game we didn't seem to be able to get our foot on the ball, we weren't getting any possession and as a result we were too often on the back foot.

At the time it looked worrying as QPR got forward but in truth they didn't really create anything other than one chance when Steven Caldwell slipped. They missed it and with it went any chance of them getting a point.

It wasn't pretty, but at the end of the day it is all about getting points now. And didn't we know it when the referee's whistle finally blew after almost four minutes of stoppage time.

Another win, and with the superb news from earlier in the day just a few miles west it meant we now sit in the play offs with a seven point advantage over the next clubs Swansea and Preston, and with just four games to go.

I said this morning that only two clubs could now stop us from getting into the play offs, they were Preston and ourselves. I don't believe Preston can now, it's all up to us.

We're on a good run, we just need to keep it going. The league table looks good right now, let's keep it that way for the remainder of the season.

The teams were;

Burnley: Brian Jensen, Rhys Williams, Clarke Carlisle, Steven Caldwell, Christian Kalvenes, Graham Alexander, Chris Eagles (Kevin McDonald 89), Wade Elliott, Chris McCann, Robbie Blake (Joey Gudjonsson 79), Jay Rodriguez (Martin Paterson 86). Subs not used: Diego Penny, Michael Duff.
Yellow Cards: Christian Kalvenes.

QPR: Radek Cerny, Matthew Connolly, Damien Delaney, Kaspars Gorkss, Peter Ramage, Wayne Routledge, Mikele Leigertwood, Hogan Ephraim (Jordi Lopez 71), Adel Taarabt, Samuel Di Carmine (Lee Cook 54), Rowan Vine (Matteo Alberti 84). Subs not used: Damion Stewart, Gavin Mahon.

Referee: Mark Haywood (West Yorkshire).

Attendance: 15,058.