Two-goal Blake is a class apart

"THE good, the bad and the indifferent" were the key words Steve Cotterill attributed to Burnley after his side emerged just the right side of Bury's brave barrage.

And as the Clarets booked their place with the big boys in the Carling Cup second round, all three proved apt in more ways than one.

'Indifferent' can certainly be applied to the Clarets' untidy display against a side two rungs down the Football League ladder.

'Bad' neatly sums up Dave Flitcroft's disgraceful X-rated late challenge on Richard Chaplow, which left the midfielder nursing a sore thigh and lucky to still to have his family jewels intact.

And saving the best for last, 'good' perhaps undersells another masterclass from the mesmeric Robbie Blake, who ultimately made all the difference on a night when the Shakers came closer to a cup upset than most might have predicted.

Graham Barrow's underdogs of war simply hadn't read the script as they twice led a ding-dong tie through routine set pieces.

But despite all their meticulous planning, there is little you can do to stop a player with the ability, vision and sheer arrogance of a player like Blake - even when you have been warned!

The Clarets skipper's two goals, both courtesy of defensive mistakes, took his tally to three for the season just 24 hours after he predicted setting off on a scoring spree following the goal against Wolves at the weekend.

You can almost hear West Ham manager Alan Pardew sounding the warning claxon now ahead of this weekend!

But it's not just goals where Blake comes into his own.

His ball control is from a different planet and so often forms the catalyst for transferring defence to attack.

His link-up play is admittedly, at times frustrating. But when he is on song, seeing him hold off defenders is like witnessing a wily old cat toying with a petrified mouse.

And as for that vision... sometimes Blake picks out crossfield balls I don't even see with a bird's eye view from the top row of the stand!

Sometimes you run out of superlatives for a player, but there's little doubt Clarets boss Cotterill sees Blake as the jewel in his crown.

He cannily handed the striker the captain's armband to be his chosen leader on the pitch.

And with many of his team-mates slightly off colour against a physical but fair Bury side, Blake was undoubtedly the one man who carried the Clarets over the line in a game that was far from the classic the scoreline might suggest.

Worried that some of his youngsters might buckle under the hosts' muscle and bustle, Cotterill resisted the urge to rest some of his weary stars.

A fifth game unchanged therefore threw down the gauntlet, but the fact Bury caused the Clarets more problems than Rotherham, Watford and Wolves combined tells you the home side relished that challenge.

John McGreal apart, the entire Burnley back line all struggled to cope with the twin-pronged strike force of Chris Porter and David Nugent.

And it was the latter who unknowingly lit the blue touchpaper to score the first of three goals in seven first half minutes.

Richard Chaplow conceded a needless 12th minute corner which dead ball expert Brian Barry-Murphy swung in from the right. The inrushing Dwayne Mattis missed his free header, but saw the delivery flick off Nugent's head instead and settle in the far corner of Danny Coyne's goal.

Stung, Burnley went on the offensive and, from a third quickfire Blake corner, Mattis returned the good fortune by bulleting a headed own goal past helpless goalkeeper Glyn Garner.

Two minutes later though, Bury were back in front yet again. This time Barry-Murphy cut a low free kick into the penalty area and towering defender Dave Challinor stooped to send a back header looping past Coyne.

Blake typically engineered the second leveller, clipping a delicate 32nd minute pass into the path of Mo Camara, which virtually forced rookie defender Paul Scott into a rash tackle that earned a stonewall spot kick.

Blake duly found the net with aplomb by sending Garner the wrong way and it was game on once again.

A few harsh words in the dressing room ensured Bury were kept more at arms length after the break.

And they were caught by the classic sucker punch in the 52nd minute when Camara fed off Graham Branch's smart flick and went scampering down the left.

A peach of a cross tempted Garner to advance off his line and flap and, as the ball floated down off his fingertips, Blake gobbled up the half chance with one killer touch.

After that, Bury did all they could to force extra time. Michael Duff deflected a goalbound Nugent header over and Coyne saved terrifically from Porter after the striker nicked the ball off Frank Sinclair 25 yards out.

In between, Ian Moore drilled the ball agonisingly wide following the best move of the evening, a sweeping series of passes involving Chaplow, Duff and Micah Hyde.

Chaplow's evening then ended painfully as he challenged for a high ball with Flitcroft.

Both players' feet were raised, but Flitcroft's aggressive follow through was as unnecessary as it was violent and resulted in a somewhat lenient booking.

There was still time for McGreal, of all people, to blaze another wicked Camara cross over from point blank range.

And when Porter just failed to get enough contact on Lee Unsworth's last ditch cross, Bury's last chance went with it.

Burnley had ridden their luck - just. Now we await the 'luck' of the draw tonight.