Stoke away it read. After the memorable Wembley win and the euphoria that followed, Stoke away was hardly the most anticipated fixture amongst the claret and blue faithful, it barely felt as though we had left the Championship.

Then the second fixture of the season was released, Manchester United at home. Brilliant, thats more like it! The fixtures carried on coming, Everton at home followed, then a trip to Stamford Bridge swiftly followed by a trip to Anfield, the favourites for relegation had welland truly been thrown into the Premier League boiling pot.

Stoke are, like us, one of the smallest clubs in the Premier League, but that wasnt the most dissapointing things about the opening day fixture. Stoke City truly are a formiddable force when they play at the Britannia Stadium, alot of teams fell to them at the Britannia last season and it will more than likely be the same this season, and that made the first Premier League fixture for the Clarets a likely defeat.

That defeat became even more likely when Burnley captain Steven Caldwell, Micheal Duff, and new signing David Edgar would be ruled out in the build up to the game due to injuries and suspensions, this gave Burnley massive defensive problems. Steven Jordan had to be drafted in to cover for the walking wounded, a player that barely featured last season.

The defensive frailties showed in the game as Stoke ran out comfortable 2-0 winners. Stoke played to their strengths and scored from two set peices, a Shawcross header and a Jordan own goal gave them the 3 points on this occasion.

Despite Stoke only losing 4 home games last season and Burnley having a lot of defensive injuries there were still alot of harsh words written about Burnley this weekend phrases such as “Burnley taught tough lesson by Stoke” and “If stoke can do this to Burnley, i dread to think what the top four will do”. By looking at these comments you would be forgiven for thinking that Burnley are the first team to lose at the Britannia Stadium.

Rumours have it that Reading centre back Bikey will be signing for Burnley on Wednesday morning. Soon, Caldwell and Duff will recover from injury, and Edgar suspension is now complete, and he can play against Manchester United on Wednesday. Coyleis obviously aware of Burnleyslack of cover in defence and its strengthening as fast as he can.

Regardless of the result on Saturday or Wednesday, the Burnley fans are about to embark on a journey of a lifetime. Im still smiling, Im stillproudly wearing my Burnley shirt (complete with Premier League badges!), and i will continue to do so regardless of what happens this season,and regardless of what any ignorant journalists write.

Accrington Stanley v Burnley

A late Steven Thompson goal rescued Burnley as they drew 2-2 with neighbours Accrington Stanley.

Despite the relatively short distance between these two Lancashire neighbours this has been little more than an annual summer friendly.

Burnley’s status as Premier League new boys gave an extra edge to the fixture played on Tuesday.

Accrington Stanley were hosting the Clarets just 36 hours after Owen Coyles had returned from their 10-day tour of Western America.

Jet-lag and a heavy pitch contributed to the slow start at the Crown Ground with the match only going ahead after inspection due to heavy recent downpours.

Burnley perhaps wished the game had been called off as they went behind on 40 minutes.   John Miles put the home side in front as they went into half time dreaming of a famous pre season victory. It was a well taken goal as Bobby Grant and Michael Symes shifted the ball from left to right before finding Miles in space to their right. The winger caught an unsighted Diego Penny out as his swerving shot sprung off the Peruvian’s fingertips and into the bottom left corner.

The Clarets would have felt hard done by as record signing Steven Fletcher had a delicious chip over a flat-footed Ian Dunbavin wrongly chalked off for offside before Miles broke the deadlock.

It was a dispiriting half for the new striker as he was twice hauled to the ground, by the over zealous Darran Kempson, but on both occasions referee Jon Moss refused to take action.

Accrington rode their luck slightly as the clarets saw several chances go begging in the first half as keeper Dunbavin made a fine save from Stephen Jordan just before the interval.

The dream was turning into reality early in the second half as Sean McConville drove in a second to put Accrington 2-0 up.

A quick response from Robbie Blake and an unstoppable volley from Thompson as he twisted inside the Accrington box saved Burnley’s blushes.

It was worrying signs for the Clarets as they failed to beat the League Two opposition in there fifth out of eight pre season games. Manager Owen Coyle will be hoping they can stave off the rustiness they showed in time for there first Premier League game against Stoke on August 15^th.

Teams

ACCRINGTON STANLEY: Ian Dunbavin, Peter Cavanagh (Ross Lloyd 57), Dean Winnard (Leam Richardson 67), Darran Kempson (Peter Murphy 77), Phil Edwards, Luke Joyce (Alan Burton 77), John Miles (Chris Turner 57), Jimmy Ryan (Andy Procter 49), Michael Symes (Chris King 57), Paul Mullin (Gary King 67), Bobby Grant (Sean McConville 49). Subs: Lewis Field.

BURNLEY: Diego Penny, Tyrone Mears (Richard Eckersley 46), Brian Easton, Kevin McDonald (Remco van der Schaaf 71), David Edgar (Clarke Carlisle 62), Stephen Jordan, Chris Eagles, Joey Gudjonsson (Chris McCann 46), Steven Fletcher (Jay Rodriguez 46), Steven Thompson, Robbie Blake. Subs: Brian Jensen.

By Faisal Hanif

Graham Alexander’s last gasp penalty gave the Clarets the tightest of leads in the first leg of the championhip playoffs.

The Scots fourth goal from the penalty spot in three games was enough for Burnley to win the game, despite being second best throughout and never really creating the kinds of chances they have done in previous games.

Owen Coyle had to make two changes to the side that started against Bristol City, after Loanee Rhys Williams went back to Middlesbrough, and Wade Elliot failed a late fitness test. The Burnley manager made two like for like changes, with Micheal Duff coming in for Williams and Joey Gudjohnson replacing the injured Elliot.

In front of an eletric atmosphere at Turf Moor, Burnley started the brightest as they attempted to get an early goal, and Robbie Blakes first minute free kick had to be tipped over the bar by Marcus Hahnemann with Steven Caldwell ready to pounce on the back post.

Burnley then continued to press forward and had several early corners as they put pressure on the Reading defence, but the game soon calmed down as the early part of the game turned into a sparring match.

On the 20 minute mark the Clarets were forced into a change after a challenge from Micheal Duberry left Joey Gudjohnson lying on the deck. The Icelandic was unable to recover and had to be replaced by Kevin McDonald, which heaps more midfield injury worries on the Clarets ahead of the second leg.

Soon after Reading were also forced into a change after Kevin Doyle complained of an injury. The Reading striker was eventually replaced by Dave Kitson.

Nothing much was happening in terms of chances, Robbie Blake was presented with a rare chance, but he fired high and wide, but soon after Reading began to dominate.

Reading began to turn their dominace into chances, and after a set piece Jay Tabb unleashed a hard shot goalbound, but goalkeeper Brian Jensen was alert as he saved strongly, Jensen then had to react quickly as the ball fell to Bikey just yards out who blasted goalbound, but Jensen was alert to save and smother the ball.

Reading continued to create chances and were unlucky not to take the lead. A corner from the left hand side was headed goalbound by Bikey which Jensen parried into the path of Duberry who then volleyed goalbound, but Martin Paterson cleared of the line to keep the score deadlocked as the teams went in for half time.

The second half started quietly as the two teams once again looked nervous, and the opening sequence of the half only saw the one chance which fell to Paterson, but he saw his shot confortably saved by the Reading goalkeeper.

The game continued to be a nervous affair with neither side creating any clearcut chances.

Owen Coyle soon made another change as he took the dissapointing Chris Eagles off and replaced him with Steven Thompson. The change was tactical as the Clarets now had two upfront as they looked to get grab an advantage to take into the second leg.

The changed helped the Clarets pass the ball around and they quickly began to look alot more comfortable on the ball and then started to create chances as McCann hit a deflected shot that whisked over the bar.

With the game opening up it was always inevatable that Reading would create chances. After a long ball upfield Jimmy Kebe found himself on a one-on-one situation with the Burnley goalkeeper, Kitson was unmarked in the box but Kebe decided to go alone and a last ditch tackle from Steven Caldwell prevented him from getting his shot away, whereas a pass to Kitson would have been a certain goal.

The Clarets were now passing the ball around like they had all season and this was opening up the Reading defence for the first time in the game. Soon after, a little dink over the defence from Paterson looked destined for Thompson, but the Burnley forward had his shirt clearly pulled back by Bikey, and the referee awarded the penalty.

Alexander stepped up, pushed away all the nerves, and confidently converted the penalty to grab his 11th goal of the season.

After the goal the Clarets gained a lift and looked alot more confident, and minutes later Christian Kalvenes played a neat one-two with Paterson and then fired over the bar from the edge of the area.

As the game came to a close Bikey made things worse for the visiting side. A cowardly stamp on Robbie Blake right infront of the referee saw him sent for an early bath, but not before he embarrased himself even more after having a temper tamtrum and disrespectfully throwing his Reading shirt to the ground, however the less said about Bikey’s childish and pathetic actions, the better.

The referee then blew his whistle for full time and now the attention turns to the Madjeski Stadium on Tuesday Night.

Full Time
Burnley           1-0           Reading

At 5.20 tonight Burnley and Reading will battle it out for a place at Wembley.

Burnley manager Owen Coyle must find a replacement right-back after loanee Rhys Williams returned to his parent club Middlesbrough this week after Burnley’s appeal to extend the loan failed, Micheal Duff is likely to replace him in a like for like swap.

Two of Burnley’s main players this season face late fitness tests after centre-back Clarke Carlisle and winger Wade Elliot both picked up knocks in the Clarets emphatic 4-0 win against Bristol City last Sunday.

For Reading, Kevin Doyle is back to full fitness after nursing a knee injury for 10 weeks, and could replace Dave Kitson.

Ex-Clarets winger and Burnley legend Glen Little could also return from injury after missing out on the game last week against Birmingham City.

Glen Little played for the Clarets for 8 years, and helped them secure promotion in 2000 with a winning goal at Glanford Park and he was hoping he didnt have to play against the Clarets in the Playoffs “I was hoping we would secure promotion last week so i could get to Turf Moor and cheer the Clarets on this week, but instead i have to try and knock them out” he said. “The two big clubs in my career are coming together, i hoped it wouldn’t turn out like this”

Burnley made sure of a playoff place yesterday after an impressive win against Bristol City ensured a top 6th finish.

A penalty brace from Graham Alexander and a goal each from Elliot and Gudjonson secured a big win for the Clarets in a game where Burnley knew a win would secure that precious playoff place.

Beforehand the Clarets were lying in 6th place, two points above local rivals Preston in 7th, and one point behind Cardiff City  in 5th, which meant that even if Burnley lost they could still clinch 6th place provided Preston lost.

Burnley made no changes to the starting 11 as Owen Coyle announced the same team that drew at Southampton, the only change was on the bench where the Clarets welcomed back lanky striker Steven Thompson who had been out for 6 weeks due to an ankle injury

The Clarets were the team that set the pace early on as they came out of the starting blocks on a mission. A corner was forced after just 20 seconds, and Clarke Carlisle headed just over the bar as he met Robbie Blakes outswinging ball.

Two chances in two minutes for Chris McCann soon followed, the was first was headed straight at the City goalkeeper, and the second was unfortunately headed just wide.

Minutes later the Clarets came close yet again. Wade Elliot was the provider again who did well out wide and then played in Chris Eagles who hit his shot from just eight yards out, but unfortunately he saw it crash against the crossbar.

The Clarets failed to make their early 20 minute dominance count and Bristol City reminded us all that they werent just there to make up the numbers as Izzy Iriekpen fired a low shot across the face of goal which was just begging for a City leg to tap it home.

Then news began to filter through to Turf Moor that a bizarre goal from Jon Parkin had given Preston the lead, and as it stood at that point, Burnley were to finish 7th.

However, Burnleys drop below the playoff line lasted less than five minutes. Yet again that man Wade Elliot surged into the Bristol City box after taking on several defenders and was then fouled by McAllister which gave the referee no option but to point at the penalty spot.

Graham Alexender inevatably stepped up, who hasn’t missed from the spot in over four years. Alexander wasnt about to break his record and he fired high into the top corner to edge the Clarets into the lead.

Minutes later and the Clarets doubled their lead. After a corner from Blake the ball broke to Elliot on the edge of the box who fired hard and low through a mass of bodies and into the net and put Burnley in the driving seat.

The two quickfire goals made sure the Clarets fans had a relaxing half time interval, but there was no doubt that there was still plenty of work to do against a Bristol City side who showed plenty of quality at times.

The second half started at alot quieter pace as Burnley tried to slow the game down and prevent any Bristol City chances and kept as many men as possible behind the ball.

Chances became rare for both sides and it wasnt until 10 minutes into the second half that one was produced when Elliot ended a mazy run with a shot straight at the Bristol City goalkeeper Basso.

After such a fantastic performance Elliot picked up a knock and was replaced by Joey Gudjonson, Elliot was then sent straight down the tunnel into the medical room, hopefully that was just a precaution.

Minutes later Clarke Carlisle suffered the same fate and the Clarets had to regroup in defence with Alexander slipping into right back and Rhys Williams was forced to play at centre back.

After several minutes of a slow paced game the Clarets began to get forward again, and it wasnt long before they were 3-0 up.

Chris Eagles played a high ball into the box towards Martin Patterson, but Bradley Orr bizarrely handled the ball and the Clarets were awarded their second penalty of the game.

Alexander stepped up and yet again fired past the keeper who was rooted to the spot, this beig his tenth goal of the season.

Minutes later the Clarets made that playoff spot an absolute certainty. Chris Eagles broke into the box and fired a shot hard and low towards the goal, Basso saved well but Joey Gudjonson was quick off the mark and got to the rebound and made the score 4-0.

The full time whistle went and sparked celebrations in the stands at Turf Moor.

My BFC man of the match: Wade Elliot

Final Score
Burnley 4-0 Bristol City

The plan was simple, seal Southamptons fate whilst ensuring our very own playoff place.

But unfortunately Burnley could only only stick to half the deal as the draw means that The Saints will play their football in league one on minus ten next season, but The Clarets will have to wait until the final game before they can cement that playoff place.

The Saints were playing for next season and desperately needed a win if they were to bounce straight back, and that was definetly reflected in the atmosphere
as the home fans packed out the stands and tried to make it as intimidating as possible for Burnley and their 2,000 travelling fans.

As expected The Saints were fired up and they came at the Burnlet defence straight from the off, and a neat pass from Wright-Phillips set up who bared down on goal and unleashed his shot, which was deflected over for a corner.

Not long after Southampton had they well craved lead. Paul Wotton returned the earlier favour and slipped in Bradley Wright-Phillips down the right hand side, who then cut inside and hit his shot which then deflected off a Burnley boot and looped over the stranded Brian Jensen.

The start from The Clarets simply wasnt good enough and this was recognised by manager Owen Coyle who changed things around almost immediately after the goal as he pushed Robbie Blake up front and switched to a 4-4-2.

Despite this Southampton remianed the better side and should have doubled their lead. Simon Gillett recieved the ball in what looked to be an offside position, but the flag stayed down and Brian Jensen was forced into making a save.

Jensesn had to be alert again when Bradley Wright-Phillips easily broke through the Burnley defence once again and beared down on Jensen’s goal in a one on one situation. thanfully the big Dane was alert and made yet another save.

A rare Burnley attack showed the main reasons why Southampton are where they are. The danger looked minimal as Paterson was out on the right, but clumsy Southampton defending felled the young striker and the referee was in no doubt to award the penalty. The outcome was also in no doubt as penalty king Graham Alexander stepped up and hit home his penalty straight down the middle.

The goal didn’t do much for the pattern of the game as The Saints continued to play out of their skins, and just two minutes before the break they had the lead back.

Work on the right hand side from Lloyd James left the Burnley defence for dead as he broke into the box, he then fired low across the six yard box to Euell who powered his shot towards goal onley for Jensen to make a great point blanck save, however the ball fell kindly for McGoldrick who couldn’t miss.

How can a defence that was so solid for 90 minutes against Sheffield United look so frale against Southampton?

Coyle gave the players the hairdryer treatment at half time and replaced a lacklustre looking Eagles with Jay Rodriguez, and Burnley came out for the second half with alot more purpose and looked alot brighter.

Elliot had a chance cleared off the line after great work from substitute Rodriguez, and McCann saw a header saved at point blanck range as The Clarets looked for the all important equaliser.

But Burnleys defensive frailties looked adament on spoiling the day as they reeared their ugly head again. Jason Euell looked as though he was going no where, that was until a lapse in concentration from Williams allowed him to skip past with ease. Williams then pulled back Euell as he entred the box and the referee once again had no hesitation in correctly awarding a penalty.

McGolrick stepped up, but his weak penalty was easily save by Jensen who guess the right way.

Minutes later Southampton were left to pay as the referee awarded a free kick out on the left hand side. Blake took the free kick and swinged in his cross perfectly. The defence were unable to clear and Carlisle swung his foot and blasted the ball into the Southamton goal to bring The Clarets level for the second time.

Burnley could, and should have won the game just seconds later as Rodriguez missed a gloreous chance. Awful defending from Southampton allowed Jay to bear down on goal and to his right Paterson was unmarked and bellowing for the ball.

Rodriguez chose to ignore Paterson and went alone, his initial shot was saved but the ball came back to him but he couldnt get his shot away properly and the ball eventually ended up in the hands of the goalkeeper, much to the anger of Martin Paterson.

The final whistle went and therefore sealed Southamptons fate that next year. The Southampton fans were understandably upset but that is no excuse for what happened next. The Saints fans ran onto the pitch and steamed towards the Burnley fans, but luckily the stewards were able to prevent them from breaking into the away end.

That didnt stop them throwing missiles however, smoke bombs, flares, and glass bottles were all thrown into the away end as the Southampton fans took their anger out on the Burnley fans. Somebody should have told them that it was The F.A. that took the points off them, not the Burnley fans.

Thanks to those mindless fans Southampton now have another F.A. probe hanging over their head.

As for The Clarets, it all comes down to the final game of the season, and a victory against Bristol City would ensure that Burnley will be in the playoffs come the final day of the season.

Final Score
Southampton 2-2 Burnley

J. Redmond

A win for Burnley will guarantee them a place in this seasons championship playoffs, while if The Saints don’t get maximum points from this game, then they will start next season on minus ten points.

Burnley have no new injury worries, and will assess the fitness of striker Steven Thompson, who has missed all six games after attaining an ankle injury in the 5-0 win against Nottingham Forest.

Southampton will have five absentees for the clash . Simon Gillett (knee), Anthony Pulis (foot), Micheal Svensson (achilles), Jamie White (ankle) and Matt Paterson (broken nose) will all be sidelined, as long term absentee and ex-claret Wayne Thomas who has missed most of the season thanks to a cruciate knee injury.

Burnley now have that all important 4 point gap between themselves and 7th place and could mathematically secure their playoff dream on Saturday with 3 points against Southampton, a win that will also relegate their south coast opponents.

All this thanks to a massive win after a passionate night at Turf Moor infront of the Sky Cameras.

Sheffield United came into this game unbeaten away in seven months, and had won 5 on the bounce before last weekend when they came up against a scrapping Nottingham Forest. Burnley however were coming into this game on the back of a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Cardiff, and since then the rest of the playoff chasing pack had continued their momentum and gained two wins out of two, thus closing the seven point gap to just one.

So Burnley and their fans would have been forgiven for being a little cagey, but that certainly wasnt the feeling down at Turf Moor yesterday evening. The atmosphere was electric and both sets of fans roared their teams out of the tunnel, and the volume still refused to drop as the game kicked off.

The football on the pitch was similar to the atmosphere, neither set of players intended to start slowly as both teams tried to press for the early goal which would certainly help the nerves. Sheffield United pressed forward and had a couple of corners early on, however both of them were comfortably taken by the giant Burnley goalkeeper Brian Jensen.

Burnley then serged forward after a quick throw out by Jensen released Eagles who then released Wade Elliot. Elliot then ran forward with intense pace and eased past 3 Sheffield United defenders who were left for dead, Elliot then opened himself up and unleashed a wipping shot which clipped the outside of Paddy Kennys post, and went wide.

The game refused to slo down and the Clarets had afew shaky moments at the back. The first was after a rare poor Carlisle left a ball looping up in the air towards the Burnley goal, Jensen was unable to catch the ball and he was forced to tip the ball over the bar.

Soon after Sheffield United had another chance. A free kick from Greg Halford was hit past the Burnley wall, but Jensen was there again to block the shot, but unfortunately he spilled the ball, and was forced to play it behind for yet another Sheffield United corner.

But then the deadlock was broken when Burnley were awarded a throw in parralell to the United penalty area. Robbie Blake spotted an marked Chris Eagles who was aware and quickly played the ball to Rhys Williams. Williams saw Paterson make a darting diagnal run, Williams then wipped in a fantastic cross which was met by the head of Paterson who guided his header into the far side of the net past a sprawling Paddy Kenny and ended his 3 month goal drought.

 Sheffield United could count themselves very lucky to have 11 men on the field, after a cowardly stamp by Halford on Robbie Blake went unnoticed by the referee. Just the kind of thug tactics we have all become used to seeing when Sheffield United are in town.

Sheffied United went close again soon, but were denied an equaliser thanks to a fantastic header from Burnley skipper Steven Caldwell. A corner was sent deep towards Henderson, who showed fantastic technique to dispatch his left foot volley which look destined for the net, only for heroic defending to denie him a wonderful goal.

It certainly was an action packed first half, and if the second certainly didn’t dissapoint.

The Blades came out th strongest in the second half and put the Burnley defence under alot of pressure, but the Burney defence remained strong as Clarke Carlisle headed over his own bar to prevent a clear goalscoring opportunity for United.

Sheffield United pummeled the Burnley box with long balls from all angles. It created few chances as the Burnley defence held strong. However on one occasio Burnley failed to clear their lines and the ball fell to Henderson, who failed to show any composure whatsoever and blazed the ball well over the crossbar to the dispare of the travelling fans.

Burnley showed no signs of sitting back on the 1-0 lead, and the created more chances in the hop of increasing. Eagles and McCann interacted well with each other, and this realeased McCann who ran forward. He then found Blake who found room to shoot between two United defenders, but once again the shot was straight dow the throught of Paddy Kenny.

The Clarets held strong though and sealed a fantastic win, a win that gives them an almost fool-proof chance of being in those playoff places come the end of the season.

Final Score
Burnley 1-0 Sheffield United

I sit here a quivering nervous wreck.

It’s surprising i am hitting the right keys on my laptops keyboard as i really am incredibly nervous. The Clarets face the Championships form team this evening as we look to put daylight between ourselves and the chasing pack, who both do not look like slipping up anytime soon and had fantastic results this weekend which saw Swansea and PNE close the gap to just one point.

Which means the Clarets have their biggest game of the season thus far, and Sheffield United are the team who you do not want to face in such a game. They have won 5 of there last 6 games and have not lost away from Bramell Lane for 6 months, including a fantastic 0-1 win at Reading in their last outing.

The good news for Clarets fans is that United forward Brian Howard is banned for tonights game after picking up a yellow card in that match at the Madjeski Stadium. Other absentees could include Sun Ji Hai (ankle) and Matty Killgallon (knee)  who are major doubts for the Blades.

For the Clarets Jay Rodriguez could be in for another start this evening as the Clarets sweat over the fitness of leading goalscorer Martin Paterson, whereas Steven Thompson (ankle) has been ruled out of tonight’s match. Other than that the Clarets have no new injury worries.

The Clarets will be hoping to repeat the 3-2 victory in the reverse fixture at Bramall Lane and put an end to Sheffield Uniteds amazing away unbeaten run infront of the Sky cameras.

J. Redmond

Midfield man Chris McCann had put The Clarets infront around the hour mark and afterwards they looked to be cruising, but they never created any clearcut chances and never increased their lead. The setback came 3 minutes into injury time as Paul Connolly headed past Jensen after a Teale cross to rescue a point for the undeserved Rams.

Surprisingly, Owen Coyle named an unchanged side for the third game in a row. The surprise was the inclusion of striker Martin Patterson, who has hit a baron spell and is still looking for his first goal in over 990 minutes of football.

The game started with a fast past. and Derby County were desperate to make their presence known, by trying to bully The Clarets. Three minutes into the match Wade Elliot looked to be in a lot of space in the centre of the park as he bared down on goal, but from nowhere Savage was up to his old tricks again as he blatantly swiped Elliots legs from underneath him.

Then minutes later Jay McEveley obstructed wide man Chris Eagles, and then thrust the palm of his hand into a protesting Wade Elliot. Another referee, another day, McEveley would and should have seen red.

The Clarets laughed off Derbys attempt at “football” and continued to get the ball down and pass it around. Burnley’s pateince stared to pay off as The Clarets started to create. Clarke Carlisle hit the bar, and loanee Rhys Williams forced Derby keeper Bywater into a fine save.

The pressure continued as Eagles forced yet another save out of Bywater after a long range effort, and Martin Paterson was denied a certain goal from a last gasp defensive lunge. Maybe a more confident Paterson would have shown more composure to see off the attentions of the Derby defence and slot home.

After the opening spell Gary Teale was the only spark in an otherwise dark Derby performance, as he forced a decent save out of Jensen from around 30 yards out. The Burnley keeper had to be alert again after another run from Teale set up Hulse who tried his luck from a tight angle.

Paterson recieved a booking after a sliding lunge on Connolly, who certainly made the most of the opportunity to show off his acting skills, and minutes later Derby were denied a penalty after half hearted appeal was turned down when Commons fell in the box.

Derby continued with their small spell of pressure, Burnleys defensive woes continued after afew aimless lunges in the box gave Derby an opening, Jensen had to show off his sharp reactions after a snapsho from that man Gary Teale. Derby came close again after a Savage free kick was deflective off Rob Hulse, but the deflection fell straight into the arms of the grateful Brian Jensen.

The second half came and the game calmed down slightly, and nothing much of note happened until the 59th minute.

The re-invented Clarke Carlisle calmly broke down a Derby attack, and then played a penetrating ball into the path of Chris Eagles. Eagles then ran with the ball and played a one-two with Elliot. Eagles got to the byline and played a hard low cross into that uncertain area for defences. Keeper nor defence fancied attemptting to clear it, and Chris McCann gleefully pounced to put the Clarets 1-0 up.

The Clarets then enjoyed large spells of dominance and looked more and more comfortable as the game went on, but the Clarets never put the Derby defence under any real pressure.

However, Robbie Blake came close after a quiet game, as he sent a rasping shot just wide of the goal.

The Clarets made afew substitutes as they looked to increase ther lead. Gudjohnson replaced Eagles and Rodriguez replaced Martin Paterson, and in the 53rd game of the season, the oldest player on the pitch Graham Alexander had to leave the picth and missed his first piece of action this season, thanks to a calf strain.

Derby looked tired, especially in defence and only poor control from Robbie Blake prevented Burnley from sealing all three late on.

As The Clarets looked to be going 7 points ahead of 7th place, Connolly ruined the day. That man Gary Teale swung in a perfecct cross and Connolly didnt need a second invitation as he powered his header past a stranded Jensen

Final Score
Derby County      1-1      Burnley
Connolly (90+3)             McCann (59)