Burnley 2 Watford 0 - Richard Slater's big match verdict

THE top and bottom of it was that Burnley crushed their loftier opponents in a wholly one-sided affair.

League positions and the form book counted for nought as, from the opening whistle, the Clarets swatted the Hornets of Graham Taylor - the former England boss once dubbed Turnip Taylor - off the pitch.

Burnley dominated all areas.

At the back Gerry Harrison marshalled a ruthlessly efficient three-man rearguard against an, at times, ferociously physical attack.

In the middle, the Clarets buzzed with ideas and the wingbacks provided an abundance of passing options.

And up front, the clinical touch of an on-fire Andy Cooke cut through a shellshocked Watford defence.

Manager Chris Waddle was at pains to suggest this result was just reward for weeks of good performances which had netted precious few points.

But the reality was that Burnley found width and space that hadn't been evident in recent performances.

Moreover, when the ball was in those danger areas the delivery was consistently of the highest order.

The final result flattered not the home team, but the odds-on pre-match favourites who could have leaked more.

Not only had the Burnley tactics clicked into match-winning gear, the players showed a determination Taylor's men could only dream about. In possession the Clarets swarmed the opposition with probing runs off the ball, pulling defenders out of position and forcing the Watford midfield's shape to disintegrate.

When on the back-foot, with the Hornets pressing, Burnley rushed the play, harrying the visitors into mistakes.

A team in such a precarious position as Burnley can be expected to fight for every loose ball. That they were first to virtually every 50-50 chance as well was encouraging to say the least.

With clean, efficient passing, and a high-tempo which never let up, Burnley never looked like coming off second best in a match which, prior to kick-off, would have seemed as likely a scenario, say, as that of David KO-ing Goliath or the tortoise outrunning the hare.

Those fables, however, rested as much on the complacency of the favourite as the tenacity of the underdog.

This was not the case at Turf Moor. Burnley set out their stall and offered no quarter. Watford pushed, shoved and fought, switched tactics, personnel and formation, but could never match the work-rate nor the quality.

In the opening seconds, the Clarets layed down the gauntlet and by the third minute, when Steve Palmer fumbled an interception allowing Andy Cooke his first opening, the pattern of the game was set.

That effort flew over the bar as he was pressured by close marking.

A ten-minute period punctuated by a fine free-kick strike from Damian Matthew and a Chris Brass header which flew just wide saw Burnley take control.

And the opening strike on 14 minutes was richly deserved. A classy move began with Matthew feeding Waddle on the left. A fine first touch saw him dance round his marker to deliver a low cross which Mark Ford struck goalwards. The ball ricocheted from a player on the line and Cooke nodded home from the rebound.

The team which had just a week earlier matched Premiership opposition in the shape of Waddle's old club Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup looked distinctly out of touch with the game.

Lacking shape and discipline, as well as any sort of poise up front - Jason Lee was simply awful as the target man - the Clarets enjoyed their run-out.

And any previous fragility was forgotten. Peter Kennedy and the impressive Nathan Lowndes made urgent forays, but the danger was never more than flash-in-the-pan as the home team's dominance continued.

Playing tight in the middle, Matthew, Little and Ford, denied Watford the through the middle options while Brass and Smith picked up the wide threats with ease and staked claims to Watford's back third with a string of probing runs and crosses.

The second goal, on 35 minutes, also involved the player-boss, playing just behind Cooke in a roving, feeder role.

His cross from the left found Little on the opposite by-line.

He produced a crisp and assured turn under pressure and with little space crossed sweetly to Cooke who headed in from close-range at the near-post.

The dominance of Burnley continued, slowed only by a series of bizarre refereeing decisions. But that did not deter them. Chances fell to Little and Matthew and Cooke who really should have more than doubled the advantage in the first 20 minutes of the second half.

Add to those the half-chances scooped away by Watford and the scoreline barely reflected the one-sided nature of the game.

That Burnley dealt so easily with Taylor's formation changes - pushing to a 3-4-3 formation - and the rolling strike force, augers well for the relegation battle Burnley are now clearly a part of.

Graham Taylor said it was points at the end of the season which mattered - that the war was more important than the battle.

That may be true. But to deny Burnley their glory would be uncharitable.

And while Burnley are still bottom of the table, this performance was top drawer stuff.

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