i paper 50p
Ticket £32
Bus to Burnley £9
Tea at bus station £1-25
Bovril £2
Programme £3
Provisions 81p
Pasty £3-99
Tea £1
Total £53-55
'Christmas is coming / The geese are getting fat...' After almost a 3-week sabbatical (my mid season break!) I headed back to the cradle of the game - Lancashire, where so many founding football league clubs came from. I read an interesting feature in the paper on the decline of Lancashire clubs, exemplified by the recent financial difficulties of Bolton and relegations in recent years.
I've visited Burnley a few times in the last season or so, for games at Colne, Nelson and Padiham. So it seemed only natural to complete the set with a trip to Turf Moor today. The ground is a 10 minute walk from the bus station, so I arrived in plenty of time for a few external photos. This was a derby with Preston so I was conscious I should be careful today - though my accent would cause confusion if I was mistaken for a Preston fan!
Entering the ground at about 2pm, I took up my place in the far right of the Jimmy McLlroy stand. Turf Moor is a classic stadium, with 4 separate stands making this somewhat exposed to today's wet December weather. The James Hargreaves stand to my right immediately drew my eye, with two tiers stretching back at a steep incline. The away fans were gathered at the far end, and seemed to have brought a decent crowd today.
The Clarets started quickly out of the blocks, and dominated the midfield for the first 15 minutes or so. But Preston somehow got a foothold in the game, with efforts by Tom Clarke and Neil Kilkenny sending a warning to the home side. This was no game for the faint hearted and Preston's Marnick Vermijl received a booking for a rough tackle. Burnley's Andre Gray looked like their real driving force, but the away side were overwhelming them in midfield with their pace and aggression. The home side's best opportunity came when Jordan Pickford punched a loose ball away, only for Burnley to rattle the bar with the follow up.
The second half was a more open contest. Preston's Vermijl fired an early volley wide, before Burnley's Joey Barton forced a tipped save with a lovely free kick. Andre Gray was at the heart of many forays forward but could only skew a half chance wide. Preston then took the lead when Kilkenny found himself in space in the box and finished well. Burnley huffed and puffed but couldn't quite respond. Sam Voke's shot flew straight at the keeper, and Matthew Taylor looked like a real threat. As so often happens in these situations, the side defending the lead actually doubled it when Daniel Johnson scored from close range. The 2-0 score line meant that Preston had beaten Burnley at 'The Moor' for the first time since 2007. I headed back to the bus, and passed a row of coaches presumably bound for West Lancashire. This was another League ground ticked off, in spite of the cold, wet and windy weather.
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