FAN’S VIEW: 24/25 – No.35: BURNLEY AWAY

BURNLEY 1 OXFORD UNITED 0

So that’s the end of us remaining unbeaten under Gary Rowett. Nine games before it happened is some achievement and I don’t think even the most optimistic of fans amongst us saw that coming. Obviously our league position is so much healthier than when he walked through the “in” door but we need to guard against complacency. A bad run and we could find ourselves hovering over the trap door before we know it.

Once Burnley got the lead in the 33^rd minute it was as near as damn it an absolute certainty that they would take all three points. They’ve now played 15 home games and have conceded just four goals. We don’t have a natural goal-scorer in our ranks. We didn’t manage one shot on target. James Trafford in the home goal could have spent most of the game taking shelter from the teeming rain and hail in the stand with the Burnley fans and it would have made no difference.

It may have only been a single goal defeat and we never threw the towel in but the gap in quality between the two sides was immense. If Burnley’s finishing had been up to the standard of the rest of their play our goal difference would have taken a much greater hit. Easy chances were spurned. One was another gift from Jamie Cumming. He dithered and then passed the ball straight to a claret and blue shirt. Just as well he was good enough to redeem himself. 

In just about every area of the game we had less to give than they did. It wasn’t as if we had bad shape but they were still able to find space all over the park. When it seemed like we had most options covered and men reasonably marked, someone else would pop up. This particularly happened in the channels halfway between the goal and the wings.

The top four have created a big gap between themselves and the rest in the Championship. Leeds have 63 points, Burnley now 61, Sheffield United 61 and Sunderland 58. It will be a big shock if the two teams that go up automatically don’t come from these clubs. Blackburn in fifth place only have 45 points.

My son’s take on it is that as these teams are so much better than the rest we should look on a game like Tuesday’s as if it were an FA cup match when a team from a lower league comes up against a “giant”. Defeatist perhaps but it is a good way of rationalising matters and quickly moving on.

I say quickly moving on but we don’t play again until next Tuesday when we visit Pride Park. If it had been that venue we’d come away from with this result I would have been fuming. Derby are a very different proposition to Burnley. They’ve lost their last seven league games and have failed to score in five of them.

So given the calibre of the opposition I’m telling myself not to get too down-hearted. I certainly wasn’t as pissed off as one or two of our fans located near me who were urging our players “to do something” and got angry when we weren’t laying a glove on them.

It was a shame but none of our players had that bit extra that made them stand out and give us belief that maybe, just maybe, we could get back into it. That said I was impressed with Alex Matos on his first start. Busy and probably capable of making something happen against a lesser outfit.

Tom Bradshaw started in the lone front man role instead of Mark Harris who replaced him just after the hour mark. A thankless task. Like for like with no noticeable difference.

I don’t know if we should take comfort from the fact that the only goal Burnley managed to score was an own goal but if you keep knocking the door will likely open one way or another. A bit clumsy from Michal Helik I thought.

If it’s possible to put aside that we lost – difficult to do of course – you can’t help but admire the way Burnley played. They were of course in the Premier League last season as were Sheffield United so no surprise that they’re up near the top again. Luton are the exception to this rule, but having come through the lower divisions are not established as yo-yoers between the top two tiers.

I’m going to stick my neck out and say that we will stay up but looking at the fixtures and bearing in mind that we don’t score many goals – a situation that we don’t seem to have addressed in the transfer window – I’m not as confident as I was a couple of weeks back. Let’s hope that getting just two points from the last nine available is a minor blip. Our next two games are against teams below us in the table. Both vital and a great opportunity to further kick on towards mid-table.

But will we be going back to Burnley next season? I’d be very happy to do so. There’s something traditional and from a footballing point of view, reassuring about the place. The locals support their team. I could be wrong but I doubt there’s many walk around the town in Man Utd or Liverpool shirts. The ground is in the town itself. None of this being cut off from the community.

We visited just one pub, the Bridge Bier Huis. It’s an award winning free house. The owners have had it for 22 years. It is normally closed on a Tuesday but opens when Burnley FC have a home game. Time it right and there’s plenty of free parking almost on the doorstep. We got there just before 6 o’clock. It’s quite a sizeable open bar area with a lot of seats but they were all taken which shows the popularity of the place. The ales were £3.50 a pint and they had a Moorhouse on at £2.70. All very drinkable. Then there were the pies. Haffners. Pie, peas and gravy £4.50. Choice of meat and potato or cheese and onion. Simple and perfect. They were flying out of the kitchen like, well, hot pies. And they were hot.

No need to get google maps on your phone to find the ground. Just follow everyone like moths to the flames of the floodlights. It was only just over a 10 minute walk. Past the Royal Dyche a pub which changed its name in 2018 after Burnley got into the Europa League. I’m normally against pubs changing their names but this seems more than acceptable. Past the Turf Hotel, past Vintage Claret and Ruby & Claret into Turf Moor (proper name for a football ground) where the home side play in claret and blue. The football club and the surrounds are as one. If only it were like that everywhere.

And finally a reminder yet again with the deadline being FEB 8^th –

OxVox information

https://oxvox.org.uk/stadium-comments-feb8

The link to get your comments in.

https://planningregister.cherwell.gov.uk/Planning/Comment/24/00539/F

A paragraph summarising the proposal. So few words but the importance of this getting the go ahead is EVERYTHING to the FUTURE of OUR FOOTBALL CLUB. Note that the target decision date is 31 March. These things take time. We have to be patient.

https://planningregister.cherwell.gov.uk/Planning/Display/24/00539/F