Oh, so friendly

BY name and nature a friendly, an afternoon of mutual appreciation, much back-slapping, general courtesy and polite applause. So this is where the game's purist hang out.

Regrettably it was the match no-one remembered to light. Football without fire. Both managers seemed to enjoy themselves, enthusing about the positives - the importance of the work out in relation to fitness, shape, balance and getting players' legs going again.

But hardly an occasion to get the paying punters (of which there were in excess of 6,400) jumping out of their seats. It was too hot weather-wise and too tame football-wise for any of that.

Stan Ternent reckoned to learn a lot from the exercise, so that must go down as a plus - but what of the Burnley fans?

Well, they watched a new look squad lock horns with a side ready to take on the country's elite and while Sunderland are hardly likely to challenge Manchester United's stranglehold on all things silver, they are a team of considerable talent.

Collectively very impressive - even the most die hard Claret forced to clap some of the passing movements, one such sequence involving 20 successive touches by those in red and white stripes.

Individually, Sunderland also had a matchwinner in Kevin Phillips, a striker of star quality who scored one and might well have had four.

Burnley? Nineteen players were called upon to make an appearance (Micky Mellon actually started, got substituted and then came back on) and some did catch the eye, not least the impressive Mitchell Thomas. Early days, but he could prove one of the close season's most astute buys. Ternent's team simply did not get enough possession in the first half to be able to show their capabilities. Indeed, it was not until the arrival of Glen Little as a half time substitute that the home side began to make any sort of impression.

Little teased and tormented Michael Gray to leave you wondering. If Gray is rated a full back of England class, why on earth is Little still floundering in the backwaters of Division Two?

Burnley could have been two down within 30 seconds when Phillips twice escaped his marker to head just over. With Neil Wainwright giving Tom Cowan nightmares, it seemed only a matter of time before Sunderland broke through.

Wainwright, once of Wrexham and similar in style to a certain Chris Waddle, set up chance after chance and it took Burnley quarter of an hour to get out of their own half long enough to force so much as a corner, from which Thomas headed high.

Wainwright fluffed a great chance when choosing to cross instead of shoot with only Paul Crichton to beat, but, on 32 minutes, Sunderland's dominance told. There was more than an element of luck about the way the ball arrived at the feet of Gavin McCann, Cowan inadvertently getting in the way of a through ball. But there was nothing but class in the way the 21-year-old ex-Everton midfielder accepted the opening with crisp left foot shot low to Crichton's left and just inside the post.

Crichton did well to keep out Wainwright and Alex Rae was close from distance before Burnley finally got into the picture in the second half. Little's strength and willingness to take on defenders produced a sharp chance which skipper Steve Davis headed wide and another substitute, Alan Lee, was unfortunate to see a shot blocked by Paul Butler, one of Ternent's old school from Gigg Lane.

Lee, the goal scoring hero against Everton, then watched in disappointment as a header from Dean West's chipped cross hit the base of an upright.

Pillips suffered a similar fate at the other end before making the game safe nine minutes from time. Thomas Helmer's long clearance caught Burnley napping and Phillips ran some 40 yards before sending a shot beyond Crichton and in off a post. Quality.

Stephen Grant, one of several Burnley substitutes, was not too far away with a well struck first timer while Davis saw a header held by Thomas Sorensen.

Afterwards Ternent and Peter Reid, both sporting huge grins, turned up in tandem for the inquest. Ternent offered: "A smashing work out for us against a very impressive Sunderland side. We will benefit from that and I thought we did okay. They pass and move so well and there were lessons there for us to take." Reid responded: "We looked fit and sharp and I am happy with how things are at this stage. Kevin (Phillips) is a great finisher and a very intelligent player. He made them pay for falling asleep, but Burnley competed well to make it a good build up match for us."

Build up, certainly. Good, debatable.

Burnley: Crichton, West, Thomas, Mellon, Davis, Armstrong, Mullin, Cooke, Payton, Johnrose, Cowan. Little, Paul Cook, Graham Branch and Lee replaced Armstrong, Cooke, Payton and Johnrose at half time. Paul Smith and Ronnie Jepson replaced Mellon and Cowan on 68 minute, Mark Robertson replaced West on 70 minutes, Stephen Grant replaced Branch on 75 minutes while Mellon replaced John Miullin on 80 minutes.

Sunderland: Sorensen, Williams, Gray, Holloway, Holmer, Butler (sub Craddock 59 minutes); Wainwright, Rae (sub Ball 70 minutes), McCann, Phillips, Lumsden. Subs (not used): Summerbee, Marriott, Bould, Quinn, Makin, Fredgaard.

Referee: C Foy. Attendance: 6,400.

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