Alastair Campbell Summarises The Blackburn Rovers Game

To be absolutely frank, the Blackburn fans sounded like they were having a party already, and had done ever since their dive-induced penalty hit the back of the net after 18 minutes.

Their post-match singing was in marked contrast to the near silence of the Burnley fans as we shuffled to homes, railway stations, buses and cars. One or two yelled out in a mix of rage and frustration. Some cursed the name of referee Mike Dean. A few sought to explore gaps in the security cordon protecting the convoy of coaches waiting to ferry the Rovers fans back to Blackburn. But with lines of police wherever you looked, some on horses, some with dogs, they seemed to give up fairly easily. To say that passion and hope had given way to deflation and disappointment would understate the general mood.

It all felt so differently when the alarm clock went off at half six, or half five on the body clock. I woke, for once, with a feeling that it was to be our day. My normal pre-match pessimism gave way to something close to near certainty that our run of bad luck, not to mention bad refs, would end, and our East Lancashire rivals would be the victims of the change.

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