Brentford 2 Burnley 1 - Tony Dewhurst's big match verdict

WIND back the clock seven short months to an agreeable spring day in West London and a scoreline to savour: Brentford 0 Burnley 3.

"The best performance from a Burnley team in 10 years," a couple of lads from Rose Grove told me as they whooped it up on the concourse at Euston Station two hours after the game.

Burnley were in irresistible form that day, annihilating Brentford's 13-month unbeaten League run and leaving the usually outspoken David Webb choking on his post-match brew.

Confident promotion talk governed the fans' conversations after ruthless finishing from Jamie Hoyland, Andy Cooke and Damian Matthew had propelled the Clarets to the heady heights of fourth place.

Just 28 weeks later, Burnley are rock bottom of Division Two and without a League win since last May!

And, as the final whistle sounded at Griffin Park, the scenario could hardly have offered a greater disparity to that March fixture in the capital city.

As Burnley's 10 players sunk to their knees, several holding their heads in despair, player-manager Chris Waddle hoofed the ball high into the Main Stand.

Waddle was boiling with rage after a reckless, late capitulation to a Brentford side, who, let's face facts, are a pale shadow of the team who led Division Two for so long before expiring in the heat and tension of a Wembley play-off final.

But, in a moment, this sorry scene just summed up Burnley's disastrous start to the new season.

When the players reached the sanctuary of the dressing room one squad member told me afterwards that assistant manager Glenn Roeder had 'gone off his head' with rage. Understandable in the circumstances, I suppose, because once again Burnley had paid a heavy price for another defensive aberration.

This blood and thunder contest had just 47 seconds to run when Brentford won a throw-in on the right flank.

It was Brentford's last spin of the dice with Burnley's 10 men hanging on for dear life deep into injury time.

The dreadlocked figure of Gus Hurdle suddenly spotted striker Bob Taylor in space. The leggy forward was quick off the mark and, sensing panic in the Burnley defence, his inviting centre dropped purposefully into the path of Kevin Rapley.

The teenage striker needed no second invitation, hooking the ball home in front of the disbelieving Burnley support.

Game set and match to Brentford. But the question now is: Where do Burnley go from here?

The season is nine games old and Burnley are going into October without a League win to their name.

Only Doncaster Rovers and Huddersfield can match that in the three Nationwide Leagues.

The Clarets prop up the Division Two table with a meagre four points and are fast losing their respectability after five away League defeats on the bounce.

But what does Waddle do next? He has deployed players in various positions, tinkered with formations and systems and brought nearly £750,000 of new talent to Turf Moor.

While the deployment of the 4-4-2 formation has definitely improved the quality of Burnley's displays, they are still seeking that elusive first win.

Although Burnley's situation is not a grave one, it is deeply worrying for the supporters and the board of directors who have invested so heavily in the new management team.

Waddle's first priority MUST be to lift Burnley off the foot of the table with maximum points from the forthcoming home games against Wycombe and Carlisle.

Nothing else will suffice and everybody at the club is conscious of that.

If, indeed, Waddle could take any solace from this shattering defeat, it was that Burnley produced one of the best displays under his tenure, yet there was always a question mark over the defence.

Brentford cashed in on Burnley's failings after just 90 seconds. Again it was the destructive influence of Bob Taylor that left the Clarets in the starting blocks.

Taylor left his marker for dead, heading across the face of the Burnley goal.

Ryan Denys read the opening and promptly looped an accurate pass back to Carl Hutchings who made no mistake, despite Marlon Beresford's brave attempts. Yet, give credit to Burnley, they hit Brentford with both barrels after the shock of that early goal.

Mark Ford began to make in-roads in midfield while Paul Barnes and Gerry Creaney proved a threat to Brentford with several cunning attacks.

Burnley were threatening from set-piece situations too, and Brentford were fortunate to survive as Neil Moore and Lee Howey both tested Kevin Dearden with full-blooded headers.

Chris Waddle and Chris Brass then combined effectively as David Eyres went close minutes later.

Just a word about Gerry Creaney. He showed the sort of vision that made him a million pound footballer barely two years ago.

And, while he is still a little bit short on full match fitness, if Burnley can secure his services it would prove a coup because his presence and quick-thinking on the pitch definitely gives the side added options.

Burnley's persistence finally reaped rich dividends in the 57th minute. David Eyres carved out the opening with a slick centre, and Creaney connected with an acrobatic overhead kick.

The goalkeeper could only parry into the path of Mark Ford who gleefully cashed in on the opportunity.

I thought Ford was going to run all the way to Regents Park until substitute Paul Weller restrained him on the touchline, such was his delight. That should have been that. A deserved point and a share of the spoils to take north back up the M1.

But the decisive moment was to be Lee Howey's 75th minute red card.

Referee Robert Styles had little option to send Howey packing after a ruthless professional foul on Marcus Bent after Taylor had sent him clear on goal.

After that, Burnley wobbled like a plate of party jelly every time Brentford threatened their goal.

Twice, Brentford tossed away fantastic opportunities to wrap the game up with substitutes David McGhee and Scott Canham blasting wide, before Rapley crashed a thunderbolt of a shot against the underside of the Burnley cross-bar.

Then, just as Burnley thought that had done enough to hang on for a draw, they fell to the sucker punch and Rapley's last gasp piece of opportunism.

Back to the drawing board for Chris Waddle and Glenn Roeder.

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