10th August 2006

Euxton Villa 3 Burnley Utd 2

As I was saying, the computer could hardly have handed Villa a tougher start. After visiting the champions at the week-end, runners-up Burnley were next on the agenda, and had Mark McDonnell been offered four points from these two games, he would no doubt have jumped at it!  This time, though, the first half was a scrappy affair, with neither side being able to settle into any kind of flowing rhythm. A fortuitous goal apiece and a somewhat contentious penalty saw Villa go in at half time with the advantage. The second half was much better fair, and although territorially honours were fairly even, it was the home side who created the clearer chances, with two ‘stonewall’ penalties turned down and what looked like a perfectly good goal chalked off, as well as a scoring a fine winner to secure the points.

Villa had the better of the early exchanges, with both David Heald and Tom Cahill winning free kicks in dangerous positions, Cahill in particular looked to be clean through when hauled back, but a free was the only punishment. Alf Gutteridge had a long range effort flash wide. Burnley were having their share of the play, but without much end product. Then, bang on the half hour, a routine cross from their left struck the head of the striker and looped over the helpless Justin Johnston into the net.  

Within five minutes, the teams were level again. During a frantic piece of defending, a Sam Bolton shot pin-balled back and was deemed to have been handled by a defender, though it could be argued that he fell on the ball and could hardly have gotten out of the way. Nevertheless, Bolton himself dispatched the pen via the keeper’s glove. Shortly after, the Euxton side found themselves in front for the first time, when a Mark Swift shot struck Gutteridge and deflected in., though the latter still claiming a clever flick.

The second half produced some flowing football from both sides. Heald got a shot away inside the first minute, then a couple of minutes later the Villa defence were at sixes and sevens, but somehow Johnson got back in position to catch a net-bound shot.  Back down the other end again, Damien Stewart crashed a viscous shot into the side netting after cleverly teeing himself up ‘Henry style’. Next Andy Farley floated a perfect free kick, and under pressure from Heald the keeper dropped at Cahill’s feet, but again only the side netting bulged.

Then mid way through the half, indecisive defending from a corner allowed a second delivery, met by an unchallenged header, and the scores were level again. Almost immediately Villa looked to have regained the advantage with what could have been an early contender for goal of the season. Gutteridge, who has started the season on fire, beta the laft-back and fired an inch perfect cross to the far post, where Damien Stewart met it full on the forehead giving the keeper no chance. Although no protests ensued from Burnley, somehow the ref construed the Stewart had pushed a defender, and disallowed the strike. (I mean to say, Damo pushing someone – come on!!) seconds later, Stewart almost repeated the feat from a Cahill cross, but just failed to make sufficient contact.

With fifteen or so to go, Gutteridge was hacked down in the box when about to deliver, and ten minutes later Farley was similarly upended, but in neither case was justice done. Then, with five minutes left on the clock, Stewart delivered a pinpoint corner, and substitute Ian Curwen did what he does so well, and powered an unstoppable header into the fat corner to seal a fine victory.

Villa Line-up: Johnston, Farley, Crombie, Bolton, Dowling, Gutteridge (Clarkson 87) Heald (Curwen 83), Loughlin, Swift (Salisbury 85), Stewart, Cahill.