Lost Game of Missed Chances and Hammer Blows!

How many times do you hear folk say you have to take your chances in the Premier League? Well Burnley had a bucket full in their game against West Ham at Turf Moor on Saturday especially in the first half but failed to take any of them! In the second half they paid the price with the Hammers after changing tactics finding themselves 2 goals up in the first ten minutes. Burnley managed to pull a goal back in the 60th minute thanks to George Boyd but West Ham substitute Carlton Cole nodded home in the 70th minute to seal all three points for the visitors leaving the Clarets still looking for their first win of the season.

It is looking a little desperate for Burnley at the moment and the only good news over the weekend was that Liverpool beat QPR 3-2 in a remarkable game at Loftus Road to keep the Rs in bottom place with the Clarets just above them on goal difference. You just can`t help feeling at the moment that this squad is not good enough for survival especially when looking for a Plan B. There is no depth on the bench it seems and too many players especially in the striking department are failing to deliver. We simply have to get a few wins under our belt or confidence will wane and the mountain to climb will become significantly higher.

Team Sheet

With a number of players returning from injury after the international break, Sean Dyche had a number of options. Striker Danny Ings was back in the starting eleven after recovering from a hamstring problem and Kieran Trippier stretchered off with an ankle injury in the last game away to Leicester had also fully recovered. Back too was David Jones in centre midfield but Dean Marney was still out injured with a hamstring. Scott Arfield once again therefore played in the centre of midfield rather than out wide. In summary we lined up as follows :

Heaton, Trippier, Duff, Shackell, Mee, Boyd, Arfield, Jones, Kightly, Ings , Jutkiewicz

Subs Gilks, Long, Ward, Chalobah, Wallace, Sordell, Barnes

Full Match Report

Burnley started this game like they meant business with West Ham on the ropes. Chance after chance was created but they simply could not score and at times the run of play simply went against us. Ings came close with just two minutes on the clock after shooting on the turn. Hammers centre back James Collins though threw his body in the way to deny Ings his first goal of the season. On five minutes it was the turn of the woodwork to deny the Clarets! George Boyd did all the hard work controlling the ball with his chest on the edge of the box before unleashing a shot that looked to be on target until the ball hit the underside of the crossbar. Burnley then even got the ball in the net only for the goal to be disallowed due to offside. Ings charging his way through the West Ham back four got the better of three defenders before shooting. West Ham keeper Adrián though managed to push the ball away but it fell nicely for Jutkiewicz to tap home. The celebrations were short-lived though with the linesman raising his offside flag ensuring that the scoreboard already showing a 1-0 Burnley lead had to be hastily put back to 0-0! Burnley were on a mission and West Ham could hardly cope with the pressure. A typical Trippier cross to the far post found Jutkiewicz but he couldn`t keep his header down and another chance went begging. West Ham had hardly mounted an attack in the first 15 minutes of the game and were reduced to long-range efforts. Valencia on 17 minutes tried a speculative long-range effort but was off target and back came the Clarets! Ings and Jutkiewicz combined well just failing to get the final touch. You just felt at this stage that all this dominance without a goal could be our downfall with West Ham probably also thinking it was their day too. Gradually the visitors notched up a gear and came close to opening the scoring in the 26th minute following a diagonal ball by Downing that found Aaron Cresswell. The Hammers left-back put the ball over into the danger area where Sakho managed to squeeze between Michael Duff and Jason Shackell to get in a close-range header that thankfully was off-target. Now it was West Ham`s turn to suffer the woodwork treatment! On the half-hour mark, the impressive-looking Downing got the better of Shackell and cut inside to thump the ball towards goal but luckily for the Clarets the post got in the way! The game up to now was being played at a frantic pace but things quietened down in the last fifteen minutes of the half although even then Burnley were still creating chances. Arfield set up Boyd on the right side of the penalty area and he put over a low cross but an outstretched Jutkiewicz just failed to get to the ball and another chance evaporated. Another two chances fell to Arfield just before the break but the keeper comfortably saved one effort whilst the other attempt was off target. Both teams had to settle for stalemate then at half-time but it had been the Clarets who had created the most chances in the first 45 minutes despite being unable to make any of them count.

It did not take long for Burnley to rue their missed first-half chances with the Hammers taking the lead in the 49th minute. Cresswell put over a ball into the box and Sakho jumped the highest to head home into the corner of the net with Heaton unable to get to the ball. It was a bitter pill to swallow and West Ham dished out more medicine five minutes later doubling their lead on the break. Full back Carl Jenkinson crossed the ball into the penalty area where Valencia leapt up high to head the ball into the roof of the net. Burnley looked despondent and the fans sensed a drubbing despite the encouraging first-half performance. It was nearly 3-0 shortly after from a corner but thankfully Trippier managed to head substitute Carlton Cole`s header off the line and keep the score respectable. Burnley continued to battle though and on the hour mark were rewarded with a goal to make it game on. It was an in-swinging corner from Michael Kightly that led to the goal. Ings putting pressure on the keeper allowed the ball to break to Boyd and he thumped the ball home from close range. It was now clear that whoever scored the next goal would potentially have the upper hand. The Clarets buoyed up (or was it Boyd up?) by the goal came close to equalising too shortly after reducing the arrears. Trippier put over yet another excellent trademark cross into the box and Ings managed to beat the keeper only to see his well-taken header fly just wide of target. With 20 minutes remaining though disaster struck for the Clarets with the Hammers reestablishing their two goal advantage and getting that all important fourth goal to once again break Burnley fans hearts. Another corner this time from Morgan Amalfitano caused problems for Burnley`s defence with the ball falling to the unmarked Sakho at the far post. He knocked the ball back into the danger area and Cole made no mistake with his header from close range. The Clarets kept going but the task now seemed impossible. Substitute Ashley Barnes who had replaced the Juke in the 64th minute had a shot blocked and at the other end Downing nearly made it 4-1 with a pile- driver. A Burnley double substitution in the 83rd minute led to Chalobah coming on to make his home debut in place of Kightly whilst Sordell replaced Ings. It made no real difference though and there was just one last effort from the Clarets to try and improve the goal difference. Barnes on his weaker foot managed to get on the end of another superb Trippier cross only to see the ball hit the underside of the crossbar. It summed up our day!!

Match Stats

Burnley: Heaton, Trippier, Duff, Shackell, Mee, Boyd, Arfield, Jones, Kightly (Chalobah 83), Ings (Sordell 83), Jutkiewicz (Barnes 64)

Subs not used: Gilks, Long, Ward, Wallace

Goal: Boyd 60

Bookings: 0

West Ham: Adrián, Jenkinson, Collins, Reid, Cresswell, Song (Nolan 83), Noble, Amalfitano, Downing, Sakho, Valencia (Cole 58)

Subs not used: Jääskeläinen, Burke, O`Brien, Jarvis, Vaz Tê.

Goals: Sakho 49, Valencia 54, Cole 70

Bookings: Yellow card for Reid (33)

Possession: 47% Burnley, 53% West Ham (Source: BBC Sport)

Referee: Kevin Friend (Leicester)
Sean Dyche Said!
‘We were dominant first half and created enough chances to go ahead. We went in at half-time feeling good.

‘We didn’t get going in the second half and that feeling changes afterwards. Goals change games and we saw that.

‘The margins are tight and if keep working away and tidy a few things up around the edges we’ll get that first win.’