Congratulations to Sean Dyche

I took what was meant to be a 5 and a half hour round trip to Burnley this weekend to visit Turf Moor and take in what I thought would be an easy win for Brentford away at a team that hadn’t won all season. What I failed to take into account was just how much motivation Burnley would get from the importance of this particular game, it marked the 9th year anniversary of Sean Dyche becoming manager of the club.

I would like to extend my personal congratulations to Mr Dyche for all he has achieved at Burnley since he took over at Burnley. He has managed to not only get Burnley promoted to the Premier League, but also to keep them in the league on a far lower budget than most of the other clubs in the league. He has done great things to achieve this and his players did everything they could to honour him on his anniversary.

Before I get to the game though first I had to get to the ground. Burnley and Turf Moor are in the middle of nowhere, it took me 2 and a half hours to get there and an hour longer than that to get back. First of all I got to Preston then had to change onto a tiny 2 carriage train from platform 3C heading to Colne. To get to platform 3C at Preston you have to go right down the far end of platform 3 then platform 3C appears on your left. It is a long walk down platform 3 though so give it time to get to the train, running the length of the platform takes an age.

The station that most of the online train ticket booking sights sends you too is Burnley Barracks but don’t go to that one, take the train one stop further on to Burnley Central as this is right in the heart of Burnley and just a 15 minute walk from the stadium. Burnley Barracks is right out on the edge of town and at least a 45 minute walk from the stadium. This tip was given to me by the home fans on the train in from Preston and I’m very grateful to them for it.

At Preston I had 20minutes between trains and with the platform only a minute’s walk away I decided to use the extra time at the station to explore. What I found was a couple of lovely food stalls on platform 4 from which I bought my lunch. First up was a delicious Tuscan pork roll from Jo’s Village Kitchen that I could easily have eaten 3 or 4 of no problem. Then I found dessert just next door from a stall run by The Little Bake Company which had huge slices of home baked caramel chocolate brownie, mint-aero rocky road and huge red velvet cookies that were all delicious, although they were eaten over the next few days as I found myself not to be as hungry as I thought I was on the day when I bought them.

The atmosphere on the train with both home and away fans was extremely relaxed with not a single harsh word between anyone. This is the most relaxed I’ve ever seen 2 sets of fans before any match, but I spose that was because of the lack of history between the 2 teams. I certainly doubt that the atmosphere would be so convivial for local derby games against Blackburn Rovers or Accrington Stanley.

The walk from the station is easy, just turn right out of the station and follow the road down to the roundabout by the train bridge. Then you turn left to head under the bridge and down Yorkshire Street to the ground and from there it’s a straight shot. Sure the ground doesn’t look all that impressive from the street, but the route from the station is so short and sweet that you just can’t miss it. On your way to it you pass the ‘Royal Dyche’ pub complete with a sign that shows Sean Dyche in full Henry VIII portrait style complete with a crown. Mr. Dyche truly is a legend in Burnley, but the pub is strictly home fans only and as my tickets were for the Brentford end I decided not to try and head inside.

I arrived at the ground supremely early and, as with the Huddersfield trip, I was once again there before the Turnstiles opened so I decided to head inside the club shop to pick up my traditional keyring. In there I met a gentleman on the staff who predicted that Burnley would win the match 4-0 and although he referred to himself as a ‘silly bald man’ he was almost spot on with his prediction. I thought at the time that it was a little optimistic that Burnley would score even one goal, let alone four, given the form that they had been in this season but I was about as wrong as it was possible to be. I had forgotten that Brentford were missing David Raya in goal through injury and I also hadn’t counted on seeing one of the worst first half performances that I’d seen from any team in all the time I’ve been going to matches.

I decided not to head straight in to catch the warm-up and instead explore the stadium to see if it’s possible to walk round it without barriers. I found to my pleasure that this is indeed possible at Turf Moor. On this walk round the stadium though I found a fan park round the far side of the stadium that looked almost completely deserted till I got closer and realised that the fans were all hiding from the dreadful weather under a large marquee. This marquee was set up opposite a large screen showing the early EPL game between Leicester and Arsenal so I stayed to watch the end of that game before heading inside.

Before the game kicked off there was a minutes silence in memory of those who have given their life for our country in war that was impeccably observed by all the fans in the stadium. This was done before this game as Burnley have no more home games before November 11th, so this was the natural time to show their respects for those who have kept our nation safe to live in the past and continue to do so today and in the future.

Due to Covid rules on social distancing the teams entered the field from opposite corners of the ground, with Brentford entering from the corner at the far end away from those fans of those who had made the long journey to see them. Whether this had any effect on the players I cannot say. All I do know is that they were nowhere the standards they had lived upto so far this season.

The first half of the match was all Burnley straight from the kick-off. They went on the attack straight from the first minute and pinned a shocked Brentford back in their defensive third for most of the half, it only took them four minutes to take the lead. They attacked down the right before crossing the ball to Chris Wood who was completely unmarked in the centre of the area. He completed the easy task of slotting the ball across the keeper and into the back of the net. This was an excellent start for a team that hadn’t won all season, but the travelling Brentford fans and players were all left shell-shocked by just how easy it had been for Burnley to score. Burnley fans were so happy to be leading a game that they started chanting ‘How shit must you be were winning at home?’

Burnley kept their foot on the gas and almost had a second goal in the 11th minute when they once again got in behind the Brentford defence with consummate ease. This time it was Ashley Westwood who had found the gaping holes in Brentford’s defensive line, but this time the defenders were able to get back just in time to knock the ball of his toes as he was about to shoot. He went down and turned to the ref looking for a penalty that the ref was never going to give.

That reprieve for Brentford the hosts at bay for long as Burnley got the ball in the net again just 4 minutes later. This was another simple goal for the hosts, a deep cross from the right hand side that was missed by Jansson, who completely misjudged his clearing header and it was instead flicked on by Wood to the back post where Maxwell Cornet was on hand to poke the ball home. Unfortunately for the hosts though VAR got involved and the goal was chalked off for an offside against Wood as he flicked the ball on. Another reprieve for the visitors that they would fail to take advantage of.

Brentford did have a couple of decent chances in the next 12 minutes before Burnley actually went 2-0 up though. The most clear cut of these coming in the 27th minute when a cross from the Bees right found Toney unmarked in the box only for his driven shot to be kept out by a strong right hand from Nick Pope in the Burnley goal. From the resulting corner Pope completely misjudged the flight of the ball and the ball broke to Frank Onyeka whose shot was then deflected out for a throw-in on the far side. Burnley went straight on the break from this and only a smart save from Alvaro Fernandez prevented Wood from adding to both his and Burnley’s tally for the match.

It took till the 32nd minute for Burnley to score a second goal that counted and once again it was an exceedingly simple passage of play that led to it. They got in down their left hand side and sent a cross into the box. The Brentford defenders were unaware of their surroundings and of Matt Lowton lurking behind them so they tried to let the ball run harmlessly out of the box and away to safety. Needless to say Lowton was able to beat them to the ball and head it in from 6 yards out for one of the simplest goals he will ever score.

The third Burnley goal took only a further 4 minutes to arrive and it was another simple one. This time a cross from their left found Maxwell Cornet in acres of free space in the box and from there all he had to do was cut inside and place the ball in the top left corner of the goal, not a single Bees defender got anywhere near him.

That goal made it 3-0 and the visitors were lucky not to concede a 4th in the 42nd minute. At this point any structure in their back line had evaporated and so a simple cross from the right was all it took for Burnley to be in on goal again. This time the ball pinged from player to player in the box before nestling in the side netting. Then Burnley almost scored direct from the resultant corner with Fernandez having to punch the ball clear from underneath the bar.

The game got to half time at only 3-0 to the hosts. To see a team that hasn’t won so far this season end the first half of a match 3 goals ahead of a team that has won plaudits for their impressive attacking play and who already beaten Arsenal, comeback to draw against Liverpool and run Chelsea and Leicester City extremely close this season may seen too surreal to be true. In truth though Burnley could’ve gone in at half time with a five or six goal lead and no-one at the ground would’ve been surprised. Brentford were truly awful all half and Burnley had been able to exploit that. In added time at the end of the 45 Burnley even had the confidence to try and score a screamer from 35 yards and it only just went over the top too. Burnley were in charge of the match and no mistake.

With this state of affairs the atmosphere amongst the Brentford fans on the concourse at half time was despondent, no-one could understand why the Bees had been so awful given their form so far this season. Theories ranged from a lack of motivation for the trip to play a team at the lower end of the table, to the absence of Raya’s commanding presence at the back leaving the defence in such a mess, to the players letting the results so far this season go to their heads and them now believing all they had to do to win in this league is simply to turn up. I believe the Raya theory to be the most plausible of these and with him expected to be out for many months yet they will need to find a way to adjust to their new reality if they are to rediscover their early season form.

Neither team made any substitutions at half time and whilst this made sense for Burnley, the lack of changes on the Brentford side was both confusing and infuriating given the awful performance they had served up in the first half.

Whatever Thomas Frank said to them at half time clearly had an effect though as the visitors came out looking much more up for it in the second half. Within 5 minutes of the restart Norgaard had a shot palmed away by Pope and Rico Henry hit the rebound both high and wide. The attacking intent was finally there from the visitors though.

This attacking intent was on full display again minutes later when Ivan Toney came close to getting one back for the Bees, but his teasing cross across the 6 yard box was missing anyone there to provide the simple tap in. Frank clearly took note of this as he finally made the visitors first substitution in the 57th minute when he decided to bring on another striker to provide support to Toney up front. On came Saman Ghoddos for Frank Onyeka and whilst Brentford certainly needed the extra striker on to finish off the chances they were now beginning to create the chose of Onyeka to be the one making way was strange, he was the only bees midfielder who had any positive moments in the first half. The substitution did work out for the bees though, so clearly Mr. Frank knew what he was doing.

Ghoddos would score Brentford’s consolation goal in the 80th minute with a stunning, spinning, volleyed finish into the bottom corner of the net from the centre of the area after the ball had been crossed in temptingly by his fellow substitute Mads Roerslev, who had come on minutes earlier to replace Sergi Canos. Before that though Ghoddos became the first player all match to go into the book in the 72nd minute but unfortunately I didn’t make a note of why this was. Either way though Ghoddos certainly had an undeniable effect on the match. He even had the final chance of the match for the visitors from a free-kick in the 86th minute. He put his first effort into the way and then his follow up found the arms of Nick Pope in the Burnley goal.

Burnley had dominated the first half, but for the majority of the second half they had to defend for their lives and they did this to great effect. At times though they did resort to timewasting tactics to give them the chance to reset and have a breather. The ref allowed them to do this for quite a lot of the half, but he did book them for it in the 83rd minute when Dwight McNeil got a yellow for kicking the ball away from a freekick just as the visitors went to take it. This booking may not even have been for the timewasting element though as this also counts as unsportsmanlike behaviour too in my book.

Burnley were excellent throughout the game though and thoroughly deserved their first win of the season. I have nothing but respect for the way that they set themselves about the task. Unfortunately this respect cannot be extended to their fans. Instead of revelling in the brilliant performance of their team throughout the game and celebrating their first win of the season they instead spent the second half of the game singling out individual visiting supporters to pick out for personal insults. This wasn’t just single fans in the home end doing this either, this was the home fans in the stand shared with the away fans picking out individual fans to humiliate en masse. I hope they celebrate any future wins this season in a far more appropriate way. Rant over.

There were only 3 minutes added on at the end of the 90 when it seemed to me that the Burnley timewasting all half should have been worth 5 or 6 by itself. However, as Felipe found out yesterday, the ref’s decision is final so 3 it was. Unfortunately there were no clear-cut chances in these minutes that would have given the visitors the chance to set up a grandstand finish to the match. So it ended 3-1 to Burnley and Sean Dyche had something to celebrate on his 9th anniversary at Burnley. I’m sure the home fans will be hoping that he stays at the club for a long time to come.

As for me, I felt compelled to head back to the club shop after the game to congratulate the ‘silly bald man’ on his excellent prediction for the match. I was unable to find him so instead I spoke to one of the other members of the shop staff and asked them to pass on my congratulations to him. This done I high tailed it to the station as trains out of Burnley are on a one-an-hour service and I had no wish to miss one.

Congratulations to Burnley for their first win of the season and I’m sure that if they play, across the rest of the season, like they did in the first half of this match then they will find a way to stay up. It would be a great reward for all the work Mr. Dyche has put in with them over the years. Good Luck to Mr. Dyche for many more seasons with Burnley.

Next weekend there are a lot of league games that I could go to, but I’m not going to any of them. It’s FA Cup first round weekend so I’m off to the railway junction where leaves on the line can bring the whole network to a halt to find out just who is Alexandra?