Groundhog Day will do nicely
IT was a case of Groundhog Day for Burnley supporters last Saturday, as another first half injury time winner set the Clarets on the road to a second home victory of the league campaign.
We'd be happy for these to happen all season, as there is nothing that knocks the stuffing out of a team more than losing a goal just before the break, unless it is losing a goal at that time through a streak of luck - good for Burnley, bad for Leicester.
Ross Wallace, having an excellent game for the Clarets, fired in a speculative shot that took a wicked deflection to give the Turf Moor side another half time lead.
This time. in the second half, Burnley showed no signs of letting it slip, tightening their grip thanks to the excellent move, also involving Wallace, which saw Chris Iwelumo net again and a trademark Graham Alexander penalty.
Grezza's trademark? The sheer unpredictability of his spot kicks. He can place them almost anywhere.
There is still some work to be done defensively, as the Foxes carved out a couple of good early chances, but this was a much better Burnley home performance than the season's opener against Nottingham Forest.
The Clarets passed the ball around well and with the game looking secure it was good to see Brian Laws bring on Jack Cork and Chris Eagles, both undoubtedly flair players, to boost attacking options.
Eagles looked a real handful at times. With a week to go until the transfer window closes it could have been either a swansong or a renewed commitment to the cause.
Personally, I hope he stays.
- THREE giants from Burnley's past were in charge of picking out the draw tickets at half time last weekend.
Andy Lochhead is a familiar fixture at Turf Moor as a matchday host, but it was also good to see Ralph Coates and the diminutive Brian O'Neill.
They are older now and although Lochhead looks imposing it's hard to imagine one-time record transfer (from Burnley to Spurs) Ralph terrorising defences as he did.
Around where I sit the fondest reminiscences were for the Bedlington Terrier, O'Neill, the midfield dynamo of the late 1960s. Sadly, Brian's limp seems to indicate he is paying the price for those committed midfield battles from which he never flinched in a tougher era. He is another of the players (like John Deary in more recent years) who supporters feel was never really properly replaced, and that's a real accolade.
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Weather for Halifax
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -1 C to 0 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: South west
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 2 C to 5 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
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