Seeing spots

Crewe Alexandra 4

Street 4mins, Smith (pens) 39, 43, Ashton 85

Burnley 2

Branch 12 mins, Cook (pen) 59

PENALTIES are fast becoming a taboo subject at Turf Moor after Burnley ended up on the wrong end of a shoot-out for the second game running.

Having crashed out of the FA Cup on spot-kicks at Scunthorpe, the Clarets were out of luck again in a remarkable game at Gresty Road where their League revival came to an end in controversial fashion.

Burnley were incensed by a bizarre-looking decision to award Crewe the first of the afternoon's four penalties.

And then having conceded a second just four minutes later when the red mist hadn't cleared they failed to take one of their own early in the second half when the hosts were rocking.

Incredibly the Clarets were given a second chance when bemused referee Alan Kaye pointed to the spot for the final time after 59 minutes and Paul Cook made no mistake.

But despite completing dominating the second half and bombarding the Crewe penalty area a two-goal deficit ultimately proved too much to claw back as Stan Ternent's side was finally sunk five minutes from time when young substitute Dean Ashton raced clear on the break to make it 4-2.

It was a surreal game which Burnley should really have won at a canter but for a combination of misfortune and a couple of self-inflicted wounds.

"It's probably the most one-sided game I've ever been involved in on chances and things that we've come out on the wrong side of.

"But I was quite pleased with the performance, and it's a daft thing because we gave four goals away. We've got to be more frugal than that," said Ternent.

The touch paper was lit as early as the fourth minute when Kevin Street stroked the home side in front despite vociferous claims for handball from the Burnley side.

However, the Clarets recovered from that set-back and a further scare when Mark Rivers wasted a great chance to take a grip of the game.

Once Graham Branch had burst forward and rifled a shot through the hands of Ademole Bankole to make it 1-1 it looked as though the tide was flowing only one way as Cook also stung the fingers of the uncertain keeper.

But six minutes before the break Crewe were gifted a second goal when the linesman ruled that Nik Michopoulos had brought down Kenny Lunt.

It looked for all the world as though the Burnley keeper was pulling out of a challenge as Lunt ran wide and the referee appeared to be reach for his top pocket as if to caution the midfielder for diving.

Yet the linesman saw it differently and after lengthy complaints from the Burnley players, led by Cook, Shaun Smith blasted home the first of his two penalties to the dismay of Clarets play-maker Glen Little.

"Their first one really turned it," said Little. "I felt we were doing all right at one-all but the boy went through and it was a brilliant dive really. He even said it, the ref doesn't give it and in this day and age when linesmen do absolutely nothing he decided to get involved in the game.

"I had one at Scunthorpe the other week which doesn't get given and today it does."

Four minutes later Burnley were 3-1 down when Cook clearly took the legs of Rivers and Smith did the honours again but with the game so wide open and Crewe so lightweight all over the pitch the Clarets still didn't look out of it.

And so it proved as Burnley took the game by the scruff of the neck and poured forward after the break with Little increasingly influential in support of lone central striker Ian Moore.

"It's probably the most exciting game I've played in for a long time and I thought we played some good stuff but sometimes it doesn't always go your way," said Little.

"The second half was probably the best we've played in a long time and we had so many chances and balls going across the box but we just couldn't get the equaliser. We got done on the counter-attack at the end but the chance had sort of gone by then."

Little was denied a goal by team-mate Moore, watched by father and Rotherham boss Ronnie, who inadvertently blocked his shot on the line and it took last-gasp tackles to thwart John Mullin as he burst through.

However, Mullin passed up the best chance when his penalty was saved by Bankole after Little had been tripped by Neil Sorvel's stray leg and it took the now cooled head of Cook to convert the next one just a couple of minutes later when Bankole brought down Mullin.

Regular penalty taker Andy Payton watched it all from the bench after spending the previous two days bereft of sleep while his wife went through a difficult labour and how he must have wished he was leading an attack that carved out a succession of chances in the face of Crewe's grim battle for survival.

Little and substitute Brad Maylett ran rings round the home side but Moore failed to get a decisive touch to the most tempting of a succession of dangerous crosses.

Kevin Ball threatened with two long-range efforts and Mullin had also blasted one over the top before Payton's late introduction saw the top-scorer and Ball again go close from a Maylett cross.

But it wasn't all a hard luck story as manager Ternent confessed afterwards. Having conceded one clear-cut penalty and missed another Burnley didn't do themselves any favours.

And then when attempting to play off-side they were caught out five minutes from the end to allow Ashton to clinch victory for the side that had scored the fewest goals in the division before Saturday.

QUOTE: "Dario will be very relieved to have won that game, I would have thought." Stan Ternent PENALTIES are fast becoming a taboo subject at Turf Moor after Burnley ended up on the wrong end of a shoot-out for the second game running.

Having crashed out of the FA Cup on spot-kicks at Scunthorpe, the Clarets were out of luck again in a remarkable game at Gresty Road where their League revival came to an end in controversial fashion.

Burnley were incensed by a bizarre-looking decision to award Crewe the first of the afternoon's four penalties.

And then having conceded a second just four minutes later when the red mist hadn't cleared they failed to take one of their own early in the second half when the hosts were rocking.

Incredibly the Clarets were given a second chance when bemused referee Alan Kaye pointed to the spot for the final time after 59 minutes and Paul Cook made no mistake.

But despite completely dominating the second half and bombarding the Crewe penalty area a two-goal deficit ultimately proved too much to claw back as Stan Ternent's side was finally sunk five minutes from time when young substitute Dean Ashton raced clear on the break to make it 4-2.

It was a surreal game which Burnley should really have won at a canter but for a combination of misfortune and a couple of self-inflicted wounds.

"It's probably the most one-sided game I've ever been involved in on chances and things that we've come out on the wrong side of.

"But I was quite pleased with the performance, and it's a daft thing because we gave four goals away. We've got to be more frugal than that," said Ternent.

The touch paper was lit as early as the fourth minute when Kevin Street stroked the home side in front despite vociferous claims for handball from the Burnley side.

However, the Clarets recovered from that set-back and a further scare when Mark Rivers wasted a great chance to take a grip of the game.

Once Graham Branch had burst forward and rifled a shot through the hands of Ademole Bankole to make it 1-1 it looked as though the tide was flowing only one way as Cook also stung the fingers of the uncertain keeper.

But six minutes before the break Crewe were gifted a second goal when the linesman ruled that Nik Michopoulos had brought down Kenny Lunt.

It looked for all the world as though the Burnley keeper was pulling out of a challenge as Lunt ran wide and the referee appeared to be reaching for his top pocket as if to caution the midfielder for diving.

Yet the linesman saw it differently and after lengthy complaints from the Burnley players, led by Cook, Shaun Smith blasted home the first of his two penalties to the dismay of Clarets play-maker Glen Little.

"Their first one really turned it," said Little. "I felt we were doing all right at one-all but the boy went through and it was a brilliant dive really. He even said it, the ref doesn't give it and in this day and age when linesmen do absolutely nothing he decided to get involved in the game.

"I had one at Scunthorpe the other week which doesn't get given and today it does."

Four minutes later Burnley were 3-1 down when Cook clearly took the legs of Rivers and Smith did the honours again but with the game so wide open and Crewe so lightweight all over the pitch the Clarets still didn't look out of it.

And so it proved as Burnley took the game by the scruff of the neck and poured forward after the break with Little increasingly influential in support of lone central striker Ian Moore.

"It's probably the most exciting game I've played in for a long time and I thought we played some good stuff but sometimes it doesn't always go your way," said Little.

"The second half was probably the best we've played in a long time and we had so many chances and balls going across the box but we just couldn't get the equaliser. We got done on the counter-attack at the end but the chance had sort of gone by then."

Little was denied a goal by team-mate Moore, watched by father and Rotherham boss Ronnie, who inadvertently blocked his shot on the line and it took last-gasp tackles to thwart John Mullin as he burst through.

However, Mullin passed up the best chance when his penalty was saved by Bankole after Little had been tripped by Neil Sorvel's stray leg and it took the now cooled head of Cook to convert the next one just a couple of minutes later when Bankole brought down Mullin.

Regular penalty taker Andy Payton watched it all from the bench after spending the previous two days bereft of sleep while his wife went through a difficult labour and how he must have wished he was leading an attack that carved out a succession of chances in the face of Crewe's grim battle for survival.

Little and substitute Brad Maylett ran rings round the home side but Moore failed to get a decisive touch to the most tempting of a succession of dangerous crosses.

Kevin Ball threatened with two long-range efforts and Mullin had also blasted one over the top before Payton's late introduction saw the top-scorer and Ball again go close from a Maylett cross.

But it wasn't all a hard luck story as manager Ternent confessed afterwards. Having conceded one clear-cut penalty and missed another Burnley didn't do themselves any favours.

And then when attempting to play off-side they were caught out five minutes from the end to allow Ashton to clinch victory for the side that have scored the fewest goals in the division.