Tally ho ho for Payton! Late goals clinch the points

IN the marathon that is the 46-game Second Division programme, Burnley have recovered from hitting the wall and are kicking on towards a sprint finish that could yet see them cross the line in the pack.

There is still an up-hill finale to go but the Clarets biggest home winning margin of the season at an enthralled Turf Moor yesterday suggested that they will leave the strugglers behind in the relegation race.

Andy Payton provided the acceleration with a late two-goal blast that took his tally for the season to 20 and Burnley up to 17th-place, five points above the relegation zone.

But it was the positive approach running through the whole side that allowed the Clarets to recover from going behind at home for the umpteenth time this season.

The hosts were also helped by the dismissal of Colchester's livewire forward Lomana Tresor Lua Lua for inexplicably kicking out at Burnley midfielder Paul Cook which reduced Colchester's attacking options to virtually nil.

But Burnley had produced enough before Lua Lua's 54th-minute departure to suggest that they would get back into the contest and the sending-off merely confirmed it.

Colchester's goal lived a charmed life as they were forced on to the back foot in the aftermath of David Gregory's magnificent 27th-minute opener. The Clarets put so many balls into the box that the law of averages suggested goals must follow.

Yet that's not always the case, particularly when you simply have to score to secure points vital to staying up.

So it was with some relief for the home supporters that Lenny Johnrose headed Burnley level with his first goal for the club three minutes after the visitors had been reduced to 10 men.

And Payton made sure that the holiday weekend would yield four and not two points when he struck a classic second eight minutes from time to soothe the nerves and effectively seal the points.

His second in the final minute was merely the icing on the cake and a nice insurance policy against a late disaster.

Like Payton's clincher, Burnley's current run of form has been a long time in coming and there have been some serious set-backs along the way.

But those that held their nerve after the successive home drubbings by Gillingham and Manchester City are starting to see some reward.

The Clarets aren't yet out of the woods but extending their unbeaten run to six games against Oldham and Blackpool in their next two games will do much to banish any lingering worries.

And in this mood it's easy to see Stan Ternent's men gaining some reward against two struggling sides on the slide.

Burnley are looking like a team and playing more in the way Ternent probably envisaged when he took over.

There has been some drastic chopping and changing but the personnel is starting to look right. And with one or two still to return from the injured list the Burnley boss could soon be faced with some tricky decisions - unless the team makes them for him by continuing to win.

Where best to play Glen Little remains a poser while the Clarets line up 5-3-2 but Little seemed to enjoy his free role in the first half. His sniping runs at the defence, allied to efforts from Andy Payton and Lenny Johnrose, promised much. But Colchester were also inventive in a fluent opening period and they stunned the home side with Gregory's perfectly placed 25-yard side-footer putting the U's 1-0 up.

Burnley's response was held up by lengthy treatment to a Chris Brass head injury but their pent-up frustration was then released with a volley of balls into the Colchester penalty area which saw the visitors hanging grimly on.

Warren Aspinall cleared off the line from Johnrose and Carl Emberson gratefully clutched the ball when Payton stabbed it straight at him from close range following Little's astute cross.

Emberson then denied Payton in a one-on-one situation shortly after the break before Lua Lua's moment of madness cost him and his team.

Within minutes Burnley were level thanks to a stinging drive from Ally Pickering, who had another outstanding game at full-back.

Emberson denied him the glory but from the keeper's parry Johnrose nodded in to level the scores.

Johnrose then headed over and Burnley almost camped in the U's goalmouth before going off the boil for a spell.

Ternent's response was to ginger things up by throwing on an extra striker in Ronnie Jepson and the crowd favourite responded with the knock-down which allowed Payton to score one of his most important goals in trademark fashion. Never one to hide when things might not be going his way, Payton controlled the ball with his back to goal and a posse of defenders around him before swivelling to drill a left-foot shot into the corner of the net.

At 2-1 Burnley had as good as secured the second successive home win they needed to open up some daylight between themselves and the drop zone.

But after Jepson and Graham Branch had tested Emberson, Payton made sure when converting a cross from the impressive Branch with the Clarets 14th shot on target of the afternoon.

"It's nice to see some smiling faces leaving here," said one Clarets fans as the happy hordes trooped home.

What a difference a month makes.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.