Wanderers 1 Burnley 0
9:00am Wednesday 27th January 2010 in Sport By Marc Iles
OWEN Coyle has more class than to admit it publicly, but this result says more about his decision to switch Burnley for the Reebok than any number of words ever could.
This wasn’t just three points for the Whites, it was an example of the Premier League class and experience he has bought into.
Coyle knew he was in for a hellish time, as a packed away end reminded them of how upset they still feel at his decision to leave Turf Moor.
But once his side had grabbed a crucial first goal through Chung-Yong Lee 10 minutes before the break, Wanderers displayed a resilient defensive side that eased the pain completely.
Wanderers climb to 15th on the back of their first clean sheet since the tail end of last season, finally escaping the bottom three positions they have occupied since the start of December.
If there was any doubts that the fervour on the terraces wouldn’t be matched on the pitch, then the opening exchanges of the game extinguished them completely.
So keenly was the midfield battle being fought that Burnley lost two players inside the first 16 minutes, with Graham Alexander and Chris McCann eventually paying the price for full-blooded challenges.
Chance-wise, the game hadn’t kicked into life until Alexander’s last contribution — a fiercely driven cross — was toe-poked over the bar by Michael Duff.
Almost immediately, Wanderers responded with a bit of football right out of the Coyle manual. Ivan Klasnic flicked into the path of Kevin Davies, who produced an excellent first time ball to free Fabrice Muamba down the middle. The young midfielder is not normally noted for his shooting, so his decision to take the chance early was admirable, if off target.
That seemed to rattle the visitors, and, in particular, defender Clarke Carlisle, who headed a long Gretar Steinsson free kick out of his keeper’s hands under no pressure. Gary Cahill got a touch to the resultant corner, which fizzed across goal just wide.
His centre half partner, Duff, was the next to struggle, heading a suicidal back pass towards Jensen, who did well to palm the ball away from Chung-Yong, but would have had no chance had Davies been on target with his curling shot from 30 yards.
While Burnley looked shaky at the back, going forward they exhibited the confidence and fluidity that has won them so many admirers.
A great pass from Wade Elliott picked out Steven Fletcher on the left edge of the penalty area, and he drilled a low shot that was parried by Jaaskelainen, and stabbed over by an off-balance Chris Eagles on the rebound.
Wanderers chose that moment to take the lead, and again it was Davies the main creator with a perfectly timed ball for Chung-Yong to chase down the middle. His well-struck shot cannoned down off the bar, and a yard or so the right side of the line.
Coyle exchanged Johan Elmander for Klasnic almost immediately after the break, and the Swede — who had come on to great effect against Sheffield United in the FA Cup on Saturday — nearly pulled the same trick again.
Beating both Duff and Carlisle to Chung-Yong’s pass, the striker brought a good save out of Jensen on the edge of his box, where the ball again fell to Davies, who was off target with his effort.
Wanderers continued to create half chances. Matt Taylor clipped the post with a close-range flick and Tamir Cohen headed over the top after Zat Knight had flicked on Sam Ricketts’ throw and Elmander glanced Davies’s right wing cross just wide.
The longer time went on with a single goal lead, the more fraught the mood became.
It has been a long old while since Jaaskelainen was able to claim a clean sheet in the Premier League, but while Burnley continued to pass in neat triangles in the Whites’ half, they lacked the killer pass.
They weren’t encouraged either by some fine defending — some of it the classier variety, where Cahill, Steinsson and Ricketts excelled, and some of the good old fashioned kind, as exhibited by Muamba and, most of all, Knight.
The big centre-half has had his critics since arriving but spent the last 15 minutes putting his head where others wouldn’t.
Even with the rising tension, Wanderers kept their shape and could have grabbed a second when substitute Ricardo Gardner brought a brilliant low save out of Jensen with nine minutes left.
The final whistle was greeted by a rousing cheer from the relieved home fans, while the Clarets followers stuck around to give Coyle one last jeer as he commiserated each of his former players with a warm handshake.
He may have severed his ties with that side of Lancashire, but you sense the adventure in these parts is just set to start.
click2find
