Edgar Scores To Earn Vital Point For Burnley

David Edgar popped up in the 90th minute to score an equaliser against Cardiff City at Turf Moor on Saturday to earn Burnley a vital point in their battle against relegation. The1-1 draw in the end could be enough to keep Burnley up with their superior goal difference also being effectively worth an extra point. It was also a very satisfying point for the visitors. Cardiff had already been promoted but the draw ensured the red Bluebirds were now also officially Champions. That oft used expression ‘game of two halves` could certainly be applied to this match as far as the Clarets performance was concerned. We were completely outplayed in the first half and were lucky to go into the break only 1-0 down. Cardiff got their noses in front thanks to a 27th minute goal by Conway and were playing like Champions-to-be against a lacklustre Burnley side who simply failed to create any meaningful chances. Dyche had to do something for the start of the second half and decided on a double substitution sacrificing both wingers. Wallace and Stanislas made way for Paterson and Edgar and the change of tactics worked. Burnley came more into the game and began to exert some pressure at long last. Defeat though looked to be on the cards until Edgar`s 90th minute equaliser gave the Clarets a lifeline in their battle against the drop. The point leaves the Clarets in 15th spot on 55 points with two games to play. Burnley could however still be caught especially if they lose both games away to Wolves next Saturday and then at home against Ipswich the following Saturday in the last game of the season. Bristol City are already going down but the three clubs above them all have 51 points including Wolves who we play next Saturday on our bogey ground, Molineux. In fact only six points separate Barnsley in second from bottom spot and Ipswich in 14th. One of those clubs is Blackburn and they suffered a heavy defeat away to Watford on Saturday going down 4-0. They play their game in hand away to Millwall on Tuesday night with confidence now low. Rovers are two points ahead of the Clarets in 20th spot and will go above us if they beat the Lions. Come on Millwall!! Anything could happen but it would now be a tragedy if the Clarets fail to reach safety being four points clear and effectively now needing just two points from the last two games to survive. Burnley have a vastly superior goal difference over all the clubs below them apart from Blackpool. We have a minus one deficit whereas the goal difference of the clubs below ranges from minus eight to minus twenty two (except Blackpool on minus two). Four points off the drop zone and still not safe with two games to play not to mention only two wins in sixteen games is simply not good enough and there are now many fans who are not convinced at all about Sean Dyche and there are already rumbles about wanting a change. The football let`s face it has not been great this season and in the main we have not been entertained especially at home. The truth is quite simply that we are on a downward slide and have been since relegation from the Premier League. Would I have Owen Coyle back tomorrow? You bet I would

Team Sheet

Dyche made three changes to the team that lost 1-0 away to Leeds last Tuesday night. Two of those were forced changes. Ben Mee once again was suffering from injury after being substituted in the 45th minute by Lafferty in the midweek game at Elland Road. He remained sidelined with hamstring strain so Lafferty once again deputised at left back. Fulham due to an injury crisis also recalled Alex Kacaniklic from his loan spell at Turf Moor on Thursday so there was a return to the starting eleven for Junior Stanislas with Keith Treacy also being named on the bench. With Austin out for the rest of the season following the removal of his appendix it was always going to be a question of who would partner Sam Vokes up front assuming we opted for 4-4-2 against Cardiff. This time it was Danny Ings who got the nod over Martin Paterson. Our line-up then was as follows:

Grant, Trippier, Shackell, Long, Lafferty, Wallace, McCann, Marney, Stanislas, Ings, Vokes

Subs : Jensen, O’Neill, Edgar ,Bartley, Stock, Treacy ,Paterson

Full Match Report

Controversial referee, Stuart Atwell making his first appearance at Turf Moor got the game underway on a nice, warm spring day in Burnley, You could see straight away why Cardiff had already been promoted. Burnley were given the danger signs as early as the second minute when Gestede let rip with a volley from distance that dipped a little too late. In the 17th minute Burnley nearly went behind after giving Conway far too much room. Cutting in from the left, he attempted a cross which took a deflection. Grant though once again came to the rescue getting a palm to the ball and tipping it over the bar. The lively Kim Bo-Kyung also saw his shot from distance fly just wide of target as Cardiff began to turn the screw. The South Korean though then tried his acting skills after diving blatantly in the box to try and win a penalty after getting the better of Stansislas and robbing him of possession. The referee was having none of it but there was no booking for Kim Bo-Kyung although he was to pick up a yellow card later in the second half for unsporting behaviour! It was all Cardiff now with Burnley under continual pressure and it was no surprise in the 27th minute when the visitors finally got their noses in front. Kim Bo-Kyung was again in the forefront of the action, this time threading a ball to Conway. Conway touched the ball forward whilst setting himself up to shoot before curling the ball past Grant from 20 yards out to give Cardiff a 1-0 lead. Any hope that Burnley would respond and start to engineer some forward play soon evaporated and it is difficult to remember any meaningful attack by the Clarets at all in the first half. Stanislas had one half-chance but fired wide in a dismal half for the Clarets. Indeed Cardiff nearly made it 2-0 with four minutes of the first half remaining and once again Conway and Kim were involved. This time Conway latched onto to Kim`s cut back unleash a curling shot that flew over the angle from eighteen yards out. Burnley had been given a lesson in how to play football and something would now have to change if we were to stand any chance of equalising in the second half.

Whatever Dyche said in the dressing room at half-time seemed to work aided by two substitutions and a change of tactics. The wing play was non-existent in the first half so Dyche decided to take both wingers off. Wallace and Stanislas made way for Paterson and Edgar for the restart resulting in a change of formation. Edgar played in front of the back four to tighten up the defensive cover and we moved to a three line attack with Ings and Paterson playing just wide of Vokes. Burnley having looked clueless in the first half now started at long last to take the game to the visitors and began to look a lot livelier. Almost straight from the kick-off in the second half, Paterson turned on the edge of the box to fire a shot towards goal. It was high enough for Vokes to attempt a header but it flew over the crossbar. Still at long last there was something for Clarets fans to cheer about and some of the hope returned. We were now having far more possession than we did in the first half but Cardiff`s defence, the joint best in the Championship were a tough nut to crack. Just five minutes to go, Marshall pulled off a great save to deny Ings whose shot looked to be heading towards target until the keeper intervened. It looked like we were now going to be well and truly in a relegation scrap as the final minute of normal time approached and four minutes of added time were announced. However, Trippier in the 90th minute got in a long throw only to pick up the ball again after it was headed back to him. Charging forward he then put over a peach of a cross to find Edgar who powered in to head the ball downwards into the back of the net! What relief, it felt like we had won the game so vital that point could prove to be! So bring on the Wolves and let`s get at least another point; one that could be enough to ensure our Championship survival next Saturday. Wolves, in the relegation zone, third from bottom will be going for victory in their attempt to also avoid the drop, they are currently one of the clubs on 51 points, just four behind the Clarets. What a scrap this could turn out to be, just a pity it`s at Molinuex. We have only won two of the last six at Molineux and after the Neil Grewcock goal and 1-0 win there in 1986, it would be over 20 years before we would taste success again. Still somewaht of a bogey ground but I would be delighted with a draw. That would mean another club would finish below us no matter what happened in the final game of the season and depending how the other games go we could be safe after all the results are in next Saturday. I certainly don`t want to go into the final game of the season at home to Ipswich needing a win!

Match Stats

Burnley: Grant, Trippier, Shackell, Long, Lafferty, Wallace (Paterson – 46), McCann, Marney (Treacy – 83), Stanislas (Edgar – 46), Ings, Vokes

Subs Not Used: Jensen, O’Neill, Bartley, Stock

Goal: Edgar 90

Booked: Yellow Cards for Trippier (39) and Marney (75)

Cardiff City: Marshall, McNaughton, Taylor, Turner, Barnett, Conway, Kim Bo-Kyung, Noone (Bellamy – 66), Gunnarsson, Mutch (Cowie – 74), Gestede

Subs Not Used: Lewis, Nugent, Whittingham, Lappin, Mason

Goal: Conway 27

Booked: Yellow Card for Kim Bo-Kyung (82)

Possession: 44% Burnley, 56% Cardiff City (Source: BBC Sport)

Ref: Stuart Attwell (Warwickshire)