Shambles is all too familiar

But unlike the spectacle between the Premiership title challengers and the Spanish giants, this was more like a Real Shambles.

Unfortunately, it's a scenario which has become all too familiar to the Clarets faithful.

Burnley's tale of woe reads 5-6 at Grimsby in October, 2-6 at home to Rotherham in December, 2-5 at home to Reading in February. And now, after Saturday's game against relegated Sheffield Wednesday, they have leaked seven goals twice in a month at Turf Moor, firstly losing 7-4 to Watford in the opening April fixture.

There may only be one game left in what has arguably been Burnley's most disappointing season since Stan Ternent took charge five years ago.

But Robbie Blake, who scored the Clarets' only goals in the 7-2 thumping, knows they must nip this in the bud - and fast.

"It's happened too many times," he said. "When we lost 6-5 at Grimsby, scoring five should be enough to win any game.

"It's frustrating but hopefully we can sort it out for next season and build on it."

Burnley were left with a mountain to climb after shipping two bizarre early goals. And their task to overcome that deficit was made even more demanding when Ian Moore saw red, literally, after being niggled by Brian Barry-Murphy and lashed out at the former Preston player on just 20 minutes.

Blake added: "Losing Mooro didn't help us.

"At 2-0 down I still felt we had a chance to get back in the game, but once that had happened it was difficult for us.

"I didn't see it but I asked Mooro what happened and he said he just swung out in frustration. It was disappointing for him but I'm sure he'll bounce back from it.

"But it was a big turning point.

"It's not just the defenders, though, it's everyone's fault. It's a team game and you've got to defend from the front as well."

Against the Second Division bound Owls, out of all of Burnley's freak results this season, this was perhaps the worst.

Quite what Nik Michopoulos was thinking when he went to save Paul McLaren's shot from outside the area was anyone's guess.

The right-sided midfielder's effort was uncomplicated but the Greek stopper misjudged it completely and the ball bobbled under him to nestle in the bottom left hand corner.

The Owls couldn't believe their luck. How they would have loved a slice of it earlier in the season to avoid the drop.

A mesmerised Michopoulos, meanwhile, couldn't help but repeatedly stare into the corner from where he had just retrieved the ball. The rest of his team-mates had to reassess their game plan a lot sooner than anticipated.

But it was back to the drawing board once again two minutes later as Barry-Murphy pumped a ball into the box. It was hardly what you'd call dangerous, but it wasn't dealt with by Arthur Gnohere and defender Ashley Westwood appeared at the far post to poke the ball past Michopoulos.

The Burnley goalkeeper redeemed himself within a minute thanks to a double save, first from Shefki Kuqi's header after McLaren whipped in a delivery, then he beat away Grant Holt's follow-up.

Burnley needed an urgent strategy re-think, and Mark McGregor made way for youngster Matt O'Neill, whose mammoth throw-ins helped Burnley to a 2-0 home win over Gillingham the previous week. O'Neill took his place on the left wing as Ternent's men adopted a 3-5-2 formation.

Things started to look more promising for the home side as Moore turned on the edge of the box and fired in a shot which Kevin Pressman did well to tip around the post.

Blake then saw his 20-yard free kick, following a foul on O'Neill, whistle past the left hand upright.

But no sooner had Burnley settled than they were forced into a second drastic change, but this time with only 10 men to play with after Moore was shown a straight red card for his unneccesary reaction towards Barry-Murphy.

Pressman limped off with a hip injury and was replaced by Chris Stringer. And the substitute goalkeeper had to be on his guard when Richard Chaplow picked up a half-hearted clearance from Blake's free kick but his venomous drive from outside the area wouldn't stay down.

Then it was another teenager's chance to shine on 32 minutes as the Owls took a 3-0 lead.

Midfielder Richard Wood repaid manager Chris Turner's faith in him by marking his full debut with a goal. Barry-Murphy's cross beat Burnley's three-man defence to find Wood at the far post.

The 17-year-old stabbed it into the ground, Michopoulos went down anticipating a clean shot and the ball looped over him.

A head injury to Michopoulos prompted the second goalkeeper to be substituted inside 12 minutes, with Marlon Beresford taking the field. And he was called into action immediately as he tipped over Holt's shot.

Burnley were handed a lifeline four minutes before the break as O'Neill's cross into the area struck Westwood's arm and referee Mark Clattenburg pointed to the spot.

Blake made it seven out of seven spot kicks by sending Stringer the wrong way and burying the ball into the bottom right hand corner.

But Wednesday flew out of the traps again at the start of the second half, with substitute Richard Evans' cross finding the net a minute after his introduction, seemingly taking a deflection off Tony Grant to skim over Beresford.

Blake again gave Burnley some hope as Stringer, who needed two attempts to save O'Neill's shot moments earlier, flapped at the striker's left foot drive.

Graham Branch switched from defender to striker as the Clarets looked to salvage something from what had started to look like a lost cause.

But their misery was compounded on 66 minutes when Chaplow couldn't clear Alan Quinn's free kick for Gordon Armstrong's foul on Holt, and Steven Haslam knocked it past Beresford.

All the fight had gone out of the Clarets and their afternoon was summed up when Gnohere put through his own net from Holt's searching cross from the right.

Quinn wrapped things up with the goal of the game - a right foot screamer from around 30 yards, giving Beresford no chance.

As they trooped out of Turf Moor in disgust and disappointment, discovering Glen Little had scored the quickest goal of the day for Reading was the last thing Clarets fans wanted to hear.

BURNLEY 2

Blake 42 (pen), 53

SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY 7

McLaren 3, Westwood 5; Wood 32, Evans 46, Haslam 66, Gnohere (og) 73, Quinn 80

At Turf Moor Att: 17, 435