BURNLEY 0

Clarets run out of steam

ON a day of British Olympic glory, perhaps it was fitting that a Hammer stole the limelight.

Steve Cotterill's weary athletes are worthy of medals for the start they have made to the season - unbeaten in five games against all the odds.

But like Paula Radcliffe, the same 11 players who have started every game so far finally ran out of legs as Burnley suffered their first defeat of the season in painful circumstances.

With the defence looking pretty much invincible in the opening encounters, it was always likely to take something out of the ordinary to stop Burnley in their tracks.

And that's what makes the manner of this defeat so hard to stomach, for until the defining moment just after the hour, the Hammers seemed to have run out of ideas.

Winger Luke Chadwick, no stranger to Clarets fans, was replaced by midfield stalwart Steve Lomas in a substitution that smacked of desperation.

But within minutes, the Hammers got the luck they had been craving as Adam Nowland's mis-hit 20-yard drive ballooned up off the turf and looped agonisingly over stranded stopper Danny Coyne.

After that - and all the sweat and toil Burnley had put into an absorbing encounter, you feared there would be no way back.

In the end, this was just one hurdle too many.

What the defeat does show is what most folk already knew - that relative success was papering over the cracks that would eventually appear.

With no disrespect to any of the Clarets substitutes, Cotterill just does not have a Plan B at his disposal when Plan A goes out of the window.

What a difference it could make if only a strapping centre forward could spring from the bench to pose new problems for opposing defences well drilled in the nuances of Robbie Blake.

However, with such a ridiculously small squad, the only viable alternative Cotterill had at Upton Park was to send a visibly wilting Graham Branch up top and see what materialised.

Naturally, you won't find Cotterill moaning about the present predicament. But having proved his tactical acumen in the first few games of the season - how many other team's supporters would be so upbeat with so few players? - surely the manager has now earned the right to add some depth to his squad.

We all know money is tight, but there are times when you have to speculate to accumulate and that time has now come.

The transfer window slams shut tomorrow and, after today's visit of Gillingham there are 12 more days until Cotterill's leggy lads need to go once more.

So how about loosening the

purse strings a touch Barry and allowing the gaffer to pull some more irons out of the fire like Michael Duff?

For if ever a gamble paid off, then the Northern Ireland defender is that man. Cotterill has already conceded he should take the 'calculated and 'risk' out of the terminology used to herald the summer signing.

And in his biggest test so far against Matthew Etherington, one of England's bright young hopefuls, he passed with flying colours.

Duff was simply awesome, snapping away at the livewire winger and in the end totally nullifying West Ham's biggest individual threat.

Aided and abetted by his fellow defenders, the Hammers were pretty much kept at arms length until a second half flurry finally brought the decisive goal.

And while the defence was continuing the good work, it was the Clarets who looked far more likely to score in the opening 45 minutes.

Ian Moore got the ball rolling with a typical jinking run that exposed the weakness in West Ham's armoury.

Alan Pardew's side is built on attacking flair, but a dodgy defence could well prove their undoing if sides capitalise, as the Clarets failed to do.

Robbie Blake was inches away from scoring in the third successive game with a free kick that curled into the side netting with keeper Stephen Bywater an onlooker.

And when Richard Chaplow broke moments later he fed Blake, only for the skipper to uncharacteristically drag his shot side from 18 yards.

Chaplow was then a stud away from converting Ian Moore's wondrous cross at the near post following another lightening break.

It took 37 minutes for the Hammers to force a meaningful attempt on goal, but Danny Coyne was more than equal to Teddy Sheringham's side foot.

And in a dominant first half, it was Micah Hyde who came closest to deservedly breaking the deadlock, hooking an audacious shot over his shoulder and seeing it flash inches wide of Bywater's far post.

West Ham were far better after the break, forcing the issue more and coming closest when Coyne smuggled Marlon Harewood's point-blank header for a corner.

But in the 62nd minute he had no chance as Branch failed to close down a cross and the ball finally broke to Nowland, whose luck was in.

Etherington's snapshot almost caught out Coyne for a second soon after and, as Burnley pressed in vain, the already booked Frank Sinclair was perhaps lucky to stay on the field after tripping Etherington as he skipped clear of the last man.

However, that lit the blue touchpaper for an explosive end to the game. Harewood and McGreal both landed in a heap following a stoppage time tussle and as punches were traded, all hell broke loose.

All 20 outfield players joined in the melee, with Anton Ferdinand, younger brother of Rio, attempting strangulation on several Burnley players!

It took FIVE minutes for referee Phil Robinson to restore calm and identify the aggressors, booking Ferdinand, Harewood and Duff.

But there was still time for late sub Chris Cohen to earn himself a straight red card just three minutes after entering play following a late lunge on Tony Grant.

And the man in black might have needed to enter the witness protection scheme had the resulting free kick ended in an equaliser. But Mo Camara's firm header found Bywater's gloves and West Ham breathed a collective sigh of relief.

West Ham: Bywater, Repka, Brevett, Ferdinand, Mullins, Chadwick (Lomas 59), Nowland, Reo-Coker, Etherington, Sheringham (Cohen 87), Harewood. Subs not used: Walker, Rebrov, McLenahan.

Scorer: Nowland 62

Att: 22,119

Referee: P Robinson. 6

Booked: Sinclair 15, Brevett 45, Harewood 90, Ferdinand 90, Duff 90

Sent off: Cohen 90