Ouch! Elliott Wades In as Judas Wades Out

Many fans will have got closure last night following the Clarets 1-0 victory over Owen ‘Judas` Coyle`s Bolton Wanderers at Turf Moor in the third round Carling Cup clash. We got things off our chest and we beat them sending the whole lot of them home with their tails between their legs. (Devils have tails don`t they?) Coyle had to run the gauntlet of angry Clarets fans booing and jeering the former Clarets ‘God` for reasons we all know! The very fact he had to be escorted to his away dugout surrounded by stewards should have been enough for Coyle never to forget what he did to this club back in January and the anger his actions caused . If he was on the verge of forgetting, then Clarets fans were determined to make sure he stood no chance with a chorus of ‘Judas` heard throughout the game from three sides of the ground. Let`s be clear though Clarets were not just letting Coyle know what they still thought of him they also chanted their hearts out in support of their team adding an electric atmosphere to proceedings that was worth an extra man on the pitch!

Bolton will try and suggest we only beat their reserve team but you can only beat what is put in front of you and to be honest we played such great football for most of this match that even a full-strength Bolton would have struggled against the Mighty Clarets last night! Coyle had to bring on his big guns eventually with 20 minutes left but Lee and Elmander could do nothing to half a marvellous Clarets victory. Robbie Blake was given a start for Bolton but thankfully he had a pretty mediocre night not even coming close with free kicks in his own territory! He will be pleased then he didn`t score and therefore did not need to pretend not to celebrate!

Brian Laws made some changes of his own compared to the side that did so well against Palace at Selhurst Park on Saturday. Lee Grant was given his chance to shine in goal and Graham Alexander returned to the holding midfield role. Jay Rodriguez was also given a rare start. Ross Wallace although understood to have recovered from a hamstring injury was not in the eighteen and Brian Easton was also named on the bench. We therefore lined-up as follows:

Grant, Mears, Carlisle, Bikey, Fox, Alexander, Eagles, Cork, Elliott, Rodriguez, Iwelumo

Subs: Jensen, Easton, Duff, Cort, Marney, Paterson, Thompson

Newcastle-upon-Tyne referee, Mark Clattenburg got the match underway on a mild night in Burnley. Mild was certainly not a word though you could use to describe the atmosphere and tension with so much pride at stake and a desire for Clarets fans to win this match so much. The story goes that Brian Laws texted SuBo when the draw was announced saying simply ‘Ouch`! By the end it was Coyle who would be saying ‘Ouch` after getting a bloody nose thanks to Wade Elliott`s winning goal on the stroke of half-time.

As early as the second minute though, Burnley had made a statement of intent when Chris Eagles let rip with a shot that rattled against the bar. As the first half progressed you could see the Clarets were really up for this match and that their passion and commitment was second to none. At times their passing game was a joy to watch and you couldn`t help wonder if Coyle, Davis & Co were asking themselves why they hadn`t played for them like that before they jumped ship. The woodwork has not been that friendly to the Clarets in recent games and once more we were denied when Rodriguez fired in a shot from 20 years. Clarets fans could be forgiven at this stage for thinking this might not be our night with Bolton always looking somewhat dangerous on the break although to be honest they couldn`t shoot for toffee with even Blake skying a free-kick at one point. Grant though pulled off a good save to deny Tamir Cohen .Debutant, Rodrigo Moreno also looked particularly threatening for Bolton as the away side began to settle but it was the Clarets who got second wind late in the first half.

With the first-half rapidly coming to a close, Burnley finally got the breakthrough they wanted in the 45th minute albeit in somewhat controversial circumstances. Chris Eagles had been buzzing all night and was a right handful for the Bolton defence. It was fitting therefore that the goal came from one of his crosses after some great approach work down the right. Skinning left back, Marcos Alonso, Eagles crossed the ball over. The ball appeared to come off Iwelumo before eventually falling to Elliott. Wado did not really get the connection he wanted but his shot was enough to force what looked like a save from Bolton keeper, Adam Bogdan. However an eagle (or was it Eagles?) eyed assistant referee (or linesman to you and me) had spotted that the ball had actually crossed the line before Bogdan had punched it out. The referee who had originally waved play on, ran over to check with the assistant before awarding a goal for the Clarets. This decision incensed the Bolton bench, with Coyle claiming that Iwelumo had punched the ball up in the air before it fell to Elliott to volley home. His cause was not enhanced when he remonstrated with the referee at half-time much to the annoyance of the Clarets faithful. The eight safety stewards must have thought they had their work cut out now as they escorted Coyle off the pitch but let`s be honest whether Coyle had a case or not, on performance alone, Burnley thoroughly deserved their lead at half-time.

As expected, Brian Laws made no changes for the start of the second half. This half continued very much like the first with the Clarets having most of the possession and Bolton causing a few scares along the way without really looking like the Premier League club they are supposed to be. Jay Rodriguez had a chance to seal victory when Eagles put him through with a superb pass but he could only shoot into the side netting.

Bolton had their moments without ever really looking threatening and Cohen and Elmander came close late on but the Clarets held on to make it a magical night at Turf Moor.

Brian Laws said after the game:

‘It`s nice to put Owen`s return to bed. Maybe the supporters have got it off their chest and we can all move on now`

Maybe we can, maybe we can`t but I know one thing, I thoroughly enjoyed this victory not to mention seeing Coyle`s smirk wiped off his face!

Match Stats

Burnley: Grant, Mears, Carlisle, Bikey, Fox, Alexander, Eagles (Paterson 83), Cork, Elliott, Rodriguez (Marney 88), Iwelumo (Thompson 74)

Subs Not Used: Jensen, Duff, Cort, Easton

Goal: Elliott (45)

Booked: Marney

Bolton: Bogdan, Steinsson, Knight, Ricketts, Alonso, Moreno (Lee 71), M.Davies, Cohen, Taylor, Blake, Klasnic (Elmander 71)

Subs Not Used: Lainton, Robinson, Muamba, Holden, Petrov

Booked: M.Davies, Cohen

Possession: 57% Burnley, 43% Bolton (Source: BBC Sport)

Referee: Mark Clattenburg (Newcastle-under-Lyne)