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Town 2-2 Burnley
Town 2-2 Burnley
Tuesday, 22nd Oct 2002 23:29

An 89th minute equaliser from Dimitrios Papadopoulos gave Burnley a point they probably deserved on the strength of their second half performance. Once again Town were patchy, despite going ahead inside the first minute through a John McGreal header. After Gnohere had equalised Darren Ambrose hit another stunner to put the Blues ahead at half-time.

Tony Mowbray's side lined-up to match the 4-3-3 favoured by the visitors with Darren Ambrose playing down the middle with Couñago and Alun Armstrong playing a successful Steve Whitton-esque role down the right. Surprisingly, there were few changes to the side which played so poorly at Reading on Saturday, Wright in for the injured Magilton and Armstrong in for Marcus Bent who has a back problem.

No sooner had the game started than Town were awarded a freekick on the right for a foul on Matt Holland by Arthur Gnohere. Mark Venus hit a deep freekick and John McGreal headed home to put the Blues ahead with keeper Beresford coming for the ball and missing.

However, the lead was not to last too long with Burnley hitting back just three minutes later. Town themselves had gone close to scoring from a Jamie Clapham shot which Pablo Couñago almost flicked past Beresford. The keeper sent a long ball forward which was chased by Mark Venus and Ian Moore. Venus failed to get his head on the ball and Moore was through on goal only for Marshall to save well at his feet.

Town though, failed to clear the ball and Little brought it to the by-line where Hermann Hreidarsson played it off his ankles for what should have been a goal-kick. Referee Phil Joslin, however decided it was a corner. As so often lately the Blues were all at sea from the set-piece and defender Gnohere headed past Marshall.

With both sides taking an attacking outlook on things the game swung from end to end with chances or near chances frequent. On 12 Hreidarsson sent a ball across the Town box which evaded everyone, but a Town second wasn't far off.

Darren Ambrose has been one of the few bright spots in the season up to now and it was another piece of magic which was to beat Beresford. Makin played a ball into the 18-year-old on the edge of the area on the right. Ambrose flicked the ball up and volleyed it right-footed on the turn across the keeper and into the net. It was another fine goal and the youngster's seventh of the season.


Town were playing well, putting together some of their best passing of the season in a move which ended with Jamie Clapham hitting a shot high and wide. On 20 a deep Ambrose cross was headed down by Armstrong but keeper Beresford pushed it round the post.

Burnley were also having chances, Davis and Briscoe both hitting shots which went by Andy Marshall's post.

Couñago went close to a third Town goal on 26 after Beresford had kicked out straight to Ambrose. The ball was pushed wide to Clapham who sent in a cross which the Spaniard took on his chest before volleying over the bar.

Although Town were having the better of it there were still scares at the other end, Gnohere almost scored a goal identical to his earlier effort as Town again failed to defend a corner. This time his header went over the bar.

With eight minutes of the half remaining Darren Ambrose played in Jamie Clapham in space on the left. He took the ball into the area but the on-rushing Beresford blocked his finish and the chance was gone.

The first half had been a fairly gung-ho affair from both sides, but after the break the game started to tighten up and chances were far rarer.

It was the visitors who were to have the first chance of the half, Dean West's ball from wide avoiding everyone as it went across the area. Burnley were having the better of the game as Town appeared to be disinclined to be as positive as in the first half. The Clarets were having a lot of the possession and in many ways were like Town on some days; having masses of possession without really creating too much and looking fragile when the opposition broke.

In the 67th minute, on one of these breaks Alun Armstrong failed to make the best of the opportunity, his pass going astray. Shortly afterwards he was replaced with Darren Bent while Jermaine Wright made way for Tommy Miller.

Pablo's weekend red card had clearly been noted by some of the Burnley defenders and both Cox and West both gave him a bit of a shove to see if he would react as he had on Saturday. On this occasion he failed to take the bait.

Town were under the cosh a fair bit and Holland and McGreal both made important last gasp challenges as Burnley sought an equaliser, and on 79 Makin cleared a header off the line after another corner caused danger in the Town defence.

The Blues had their best chance of the half in the 80th minute as Darren Bent broke quickly down the right. He sent a low ball in but Couñago could only get a slight touch on it, sending it wide. While the ball was retrieved Wayne Brown replaced an injured-looking Mark Venus, despite Finidi George appearing ready to come on seconds before.

With a minute left on the clock it was looking like the Blues had managed to hold onto the lead, albeit rather fortuitously, however it was then that the Clarets struck.

Dean West was given time and space on the right to pick his spot and sent in a cross to the edge of the six-yard box. Sub Papadoupoulos, who had already made one strong run through the defence in his six minutes on the field, rose unchallenged with numerous Town defenders around him, and headed past Marshall who might have done better with a ball that flew very close to him if at pace.

That was the signal for Town to come out of a shell they had occupied for far too much of the half. Hreidarsson made a break down the left and appeared to accidentally catch Cox in the face with his boot as the defender slid in to tackle him.

While the Burnley player was down, one or two of his team-mates appeared to be under the impression Hreidarsson had injured Cox deliberately, a view not shared by the ref who allowed lengthy treatment to take place on the field, much to the annoyance of the home fans.

The whistle brought the now regular chorus of boos from the terraces as another disappointing result makes the new manager's task all the harder. The first half had moments where the Blues did well, although there were all too many times when the defence looked panicky, disorganised and far from convincing. The second was much like the Sheffield Wednesday game's last 45, but this time without the excuse of four games in ten days.

Town: Marshall, Makin, Hreidarsson, Venus (Brown 80), McGreal, Holland, Wright (T Miller 67), Clapham, Ambrose, Armstrong (D Bent 67), Couñago.


Photo: Action Images



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