Town picked up their seventh league away win of the season as first half goals from skipper David Norris and Connor Wickham saw Paul Jewell’s men to a 2-1 victory at Burnley. Norris and Wickham netted within seven minutes of one another before the break, with the Clarets pulling one back through Jay Rodriguez in the second half.
Boss Paul Jewell recalled striker Jason Scotland in place of midfielder Lee Martin, who started a two-game ban after picking up 10 bookings. Connor Wickham returning to his wide left role with Josh Carson making his second senior start, this time on the right of the midfield.
Loanee Kieron Dyer was on the bench after recovering from his thigh injury, while the Clarets included Aston Villa frontman Nathan Delfouneso in their starting line-up, a player the Blues also tried to sign on loan.
As the game started in swirling, windy conditions, Josh Carson required treatment for an early knock after being caught late by Delfouneso, referee Trevor Kettle surprisingly seeing no foul.
The first serious shot of the game came on nine when a breaking Dean Marney fed in Ross Wallace on the edge of the area but the former Sunderland man screwed his shot well wide when he ought to have done better.
Town went ahead with their first attempt on goal in the 17th minute. Jason Scotland won a corner on the left and Jimmy Bullard sent in a deep cross which Gareth McAuley headed back into the danger area. Connor Wickham got a touch and an unmarked David Norris followed up to slam in his 10th goal of the season from eight yards, making the skipper this season’s top scorer.
A minute later, the Blues almost made it two. Bullard whipped in a low freekick from the right after Carson had been fouled but a stretching Scotland could only divert the ball over the bar.
But on 24 it was two. Carson played the ball towards Norris, who left it for Scotland, who sent his skipper away in space on the right. The midfielder crossed towards Connor Wickham coming in from the left and the 18-year-old headed the ball into the ground, over keeper Lee Grant and under the bar for his seventh goal of the season.
Referee Kettle, who had made several slightly surprising decisions, much to the annoyance of both sets of fans, produced his first card of the game on the half hour, Burnley’s Wallace picking up a caution for a foul on Bullard.
The home side had been on top during the early stages but as so often the first goal had changed the game. Town’s second coming so soon afterwards seemed to completely knock the stuffing out of the Clarets, who looked utterly shellshocked.
With eight minutes of the first period remaining, Burnley boss Eddie Howe acted to address the situation, replacing Wallace, who had continued an ongoing spat with Norris even after his booking, with Chris Iwelumo.
On 42 Wickham joined the now departed Wallace in the ref’s book for timewasting when he brought the ball back on to the pitch after it had gone out with Clarets keeper Grant readying himself for a goalkick with a another one. A minute later McAuley’s name was added to the increasingly erratic Mr Kettle’s list, apparently for dissent.
The referee’s red card might have been employed just before injury time when Norris was tripped by Andre Bikey as he broke towards the area after Burnley had surrendered possession midway inside their own half.
In the end the Cameroonian saw only a yellow, which was probably the right decision as another defender may well have prevented the Town captain from having an obvious opportunity to score. From the freekick Bullard forced Grant to save, then, with the half now in time added on, Norris picked up the game’s fifth caution for a foul on Tyrone Mears.
At the break referee Kettle was booed off by the home supporters, but in truth both sides had been on the wrong end of the Berkshire official’s more perplexing moments. Mark Kennedy, for example, had been penalised for what was a perfectly fair challenge, while clear fouls, such as Delfouneso’s on Carson had gone unpunished.
The late flurry of largely needless bookings had led to the game drifting a touch but after the goals the Blues had always been on top with Bullard controlling the midfield and Norris a constant danger when breaking forward. Burnley had started the game brightly had badly lost their way after conceding twice in such swift succession.
The first opportunity of the second half fell to Burnley in the 52nd minute, Marney half-volleying Iwelumo’s knockdown goalwards but the previously untested Arran Lee-Barrett plucked the ball out of the air.
A minute later the home side claimed a penalty when Iwelumo went to ground under pressure from Kennedy as a cross came in from the left but there appeared to be little contact and referee Kettle was unimpressed.
But the Clarets were looking more of a threat than they had before the break and on 56 Delfouneso hit a shot from the right, which Lee-Barrett again saved comfortably. The Town keeper soon became referee Kettle’s sixth booking of the day for timewasting when he retrieved the ball at a goalkick.
On 58 Connor Wickham wasn’t far from getting on the end of a Carlos Edwards cross from the right, then Bullard curled a 30-yarder wide. But most of the half’s attacking play had come from the home team, albeit largely unconvincingly with moves all too often breaking down due to misplaces passes.
Carson shot wide as the game passed the hour mark, then, with the momentum moving back towards Town, two Wickham strikes were blocked, the second looping out for a corner.
The Blues looked to have weathered the early storm but on 68 there was a sting in the tail when Jay Rodriguez was allowed space midway inside the Town half to bring Marney’s pass from the right forward and hit a shot from the edge of the area which beat Lee-Barrett to pull a goal back for the Clarets.
A minute later, a fine Blues move almost saw them restore their two-goal lead, Scotland laying the ball back to Norris on the edge of the box and keeper Grant doing well to tip the Blues’ captain’s strike over.
But their goal had given Eddie Howe’s men and the home crowd a huge boost and on 71 Delfouneso turned sub Wade Elliott’s freekick from the left wide. In the 77th minute Shane Duffy headed a corner over, soon after Andy Drury had replaced Jason Scotland, Connor Wickham having moved up front.
A minute later Delfouneso got his name in the book for needlessly charging into Lee-Barrett well after the keeper had claimed the ball. While the Town glovesman received treatment, Kieron Dyer replaced Josh Carson, the Northern Irish U21 international having made more of an impact on the match than in the Scunthorpe game. Dyer took up an advanced central role with Norris moving to the right.
Drury lashed well over, then Leadbitter went closer but neither side was looking particularly like adding to the goals as the match entered its final minutes.
The Blues weathered a spell of late pressure from the home team but rarely looked in too much trouble with McAuley and Delaney again dealing with everything thrown at them in the air.
Town were good for their win, repelling the Clarets during the second half having put themselves in the driving seat before the break.
There may be little left to play for in the season, but Paul Jewell is keen to end on a high note and today’s performance and result will greatly have pleased the Blues boss.
Town: Lee-Barrett, Edwards, Kennedy, McAuley, Delaney, Leadbitter, Bullard, Norris, Carson (Dyer 79), Wickham, Scotland (Drury 74). Unused: Fülöp, Peters, Healy, Civelli, O'Dea.
Burnley: Grant, Mears, Easton, Bikey, Duffy, Marney, Bartley (Alexander 75), Eagles (Elliott 67), Delfouneso, Wallace (Iwelumo 37), Rodriguez. Unused: Carlisle, Duff, Edgar, Jensen. Ref: Trevor Kettle (Berks). Att: 14,483.