Ace Robbie rubs it in for troubled Joe

By Longsider
November 16 2004

Press reports covering our victory over Nottingham Forest. We have reports from the Sporting Life and the Sunday People.

Burnley 1 Nottm For 0

Sporting Life

Robbie Blake's early goal proved decisive as Burnley held on for three points against struggling Nottingham Forest.

The victory moves the Clarets safely into mid-table in the Championship and 10 points clear of Forest, who are still showing no sign of turning around their desperate current plight and remain five points from safety.

A major factor in Forest's poor start to the season has been their dreadful away form - they have now picked up just four points from a possible 30 on their travels.

And after six minutes they looked destined for a third straight defeat.

In search of their first away win of the campaign, they had started brightly enough, with Marlon King having a header saved by Clarets goalkeeper Brian Jenson and Ross Gardner volleying over.

But Blake's ninth goal of the season fired the home side into an early lead as he stabbed home Lee Roche's cross to give Steve Cotterill's injury-hit side, who had lost three of their previous four matches, the lead.

The hosts came close to doubling their advantage when highly-rated Reds defender Michael Dawson had to volley over his own goal to cut out Mo Camara's dangerous cross.

Joe Kinnear's Forest were reduced to long-range efforts, with King and Andy Reid shooting wide from distance and Paul Evans having his strike blocked by Clarets midfielder James O'Connor, who is on-loan from Premiership side West Brom.

Perch was replaced by Eoin Jess after just half an hour and Cotterill also made a change before the break with Ian Moore coming on for Jean-Louis Valois.

But the Clarets were untroubled and went in at the interval looking good value for their lead.

The opening period followed a similar pattern with neither side having a period of pressure or carving out good chances.

Clarets defender John McGreal pulled off a fine block from John Thompson's strike and King dragged another couple of efforts wide for the visitors.

Cotterill made his second change just two minutes after the break with midfielder Micah Hyde being replaced by on-loan defender Richard Duffy. With an already crowded treatment room, Clarets fans will be hoping that the exits of Hyde and Valois were merely tinkering by Cotterill.

Moore drilled a shot just wide, as did O'Connor, as Burnley remained in control, although at the other end Clarets old boy Gareth Taylor headed wide of goal after Reid picked him out with a fine cross.

Republic of Ireland international Reid was at the hub of all of Forest's good attacking work and troubled Jensen with a steady supply of crosses, and the big Dane also had to be alert to keep out Dawson's shot from 30 yards.

But Cotterill's men clung on for the win.

Teams:

Burnley: Jensen, Duff, Cahill, McGreal, Camara, Roche, Hyde (Duffy 48), Grant, O'Connor, Valois (Moore 41), Blake.

Subs Not Used: Sanokho, O'Neill, Pilkington.

Booked: Duffy.

Goals: Blake 6.

Nottm Forest: Gerrard, Perch (Jess 31), Dawson, Morgan, Rogers (Robertson 53), Reid, Thompson, Evans (Johnson 74), Gardner, King, Taylor.

Subs Not Used: Roche, Hjelde.

Att: 11,622

Ref: A Marriner (W Midlands).

 

ACE ROBBIE RUBS IT IN FOR TROUBLED JOE

Nov 14 2004

Burnley 1 Nottm Forest 0

By Andrew Collomosse

ROBBIE BLAKE racked up the pressure on under-fire Forest boss Joe Kinnear as he clinched Burnley's first home win since late September. Blake struck in the sixth minute to ensure Forest stay rooted in the relegation quicksand after their sixth game without a win. Yet only some fine saves by home keeper Brian Jensen kept the visitors at bay in the second half and they will feel unlucky not to have taken a point. They might easily have gone in front in the fifth minute when midfield man Ross Gardner hit the bar from 20 yards. But Burnley responded immediately with Lee Roche providing the cross for Blake to take advantage of some slack marking to hit an angled shot past Paul Gerrard. Marlon King fired wide from 20 yards as Forest replied but Burnley looked the more dangerous and in the 17th minute Michael Dawson was at full stretch to clear from Mo Camara. Three minutes later a cross from Michael Duff found Blake unmarked eight yards out - but with the homes fans ready to salute a goal, he miscued his header. In first-half injury time Jess forced a rare save from Jensen, and right after the restart King had an even better chance when he raced on to a long clearance. He looked certain to score but somehow Jensen stuck out a leg and deflected the shot for a corner. Wes Morgan forced another corner from close range two minutes later but the Clarets responded with a shot from Moore that was clawed to safety by the diving Gerrard. In the 63rd minute Jensen pulled off another fine save to deny the dangerous King. And with 13 minutes to go, former Burnley hit man Gareth Taylor looked certain to level the scores. Like Blake before him he was presented with a free header 10 yards out - and just like the Burnley skipper he headed tamely wide. BURNLEY: *JENSEN 8 - Duff 6, Cahill 6, McGreal 7, Camara 7 - Roche 6, Hyde 6 (Duffy, 45mins, 6), Grant 6, O'Connor 7, Valois 6 (Moore, 41mins, 7) - Blake 7. FOREST: Gerrard 6 - Perch 6 (Jess, 31mins, 7), Dawson 7, Morgan 6, Rogers 6 (Robertson, 52mins, 6) - Gardner 6, Thompson 7, Evans 6 (Johnson, 74mins), Reid 6 - *KING 8, Taylor 6. Ref: M Messias 6.