Coca Cola Cup 1st round 2nd leg: Burnley 2 Lincoln City 1 (Burnley win 3-2 on aggregate) - Tony Dewhurst's big match report

CHRIS Waddle revealed his new Turf Moor role - as a claret and blue sweeper!

Waddle slapped on the number four shirt and tugged the strings for the Clarets as Burnley overwhelmed plucky Lincoln City.

But was this role a first for the footballing virtuoso?

It was certainly a whole new ball game to see Waddle shoulder-to-shoulder with his defenders, gesticulating, pointing the finger and barking out the orders.

But his tactical switch worked a treat as the goals supply began to flow - and now Waddle will hope to pull out a plum tie in tomorrow's second round draw.

"I played a couple of times there for Sheffield Wednesday Reserves and I really enjoyed it," explained Waddle.

"We had a practice game at Gawthorpe yesterday (Monday) and I decided I would play in that role against Lincoln.

"We had not been creating enough chances and I thought this was a way of trying to generate a bit more for our strikers.

"That's way I played there. It appeared to work.

"I think if you read the game and pass the ball then it is a really nice position to play in.

"You'll have to ask Glenn Roeder how I played though!" It was worth the admission fee alone to see Waddle firing 40 yard passes across the lush Turf Moor surface with the accuracy of a Tiger Woods eight iron.

When the Lincoln players weren't trying to kick Burnley and Waddle into Row K of the Bob Lord Stand, I even spotted one of their players applauding a Waddle pass!

Waddle's distribution and presence sparked attack after attack. And to think we were talking about a goal drought 24 hours ago!

Indeed, Burnley had enough chances to have equalled Blackburn's seven-goal haul against Sheffield Wednesday.

For a team who had scored just once in their first four outings, the Clarets were suddenly bubbling with zest and ideas.

And only Lincoln goalkeeper John Vaughan stood between Burnley and a Coca-Cola Cup drubbing.

Journeyman Vaughan is not the tallest goalkeeper in the League, but he was in prodigious form to keep the Burnley strike force at bay.

Time and time again he denied Burnley with splendid reaction saves. But he must have wondered whether Lincoln were going to be buried under a goal avalanche as the rampaging Clarets grabbed the lead after 36 seconds.

Waddle had spoken before the tie about the importance of an early goal - and Cooke granted him his fervent wish. The Lincoln defence was caught with their shorts down as Paul Weller and Paul Barnes combined sweetly to set up Cooke, who swept a cracker of a shot powerfully inside the post.

But instead of a Lincoln disintegration, that was just the cue that Vaughan needed:

Vaughan closes Andy Cooke's angle down to deny the number nine his second of the tie.

Again Cooke is denied - this time Vaughan spreads himself in front of Burnley's young striker to keep out a fierce point blank shot.

Mark Winstanley's volley is palmed away as Burnley turn up the heat.

Vaughan is finally beaten as David Eyres punishes Lincoln from the penalty spot after a Lincoln defender handles Paul Weller's cross.

That should have proved enough for Burnley - 2-0 on the night and a tasty 3-1 aggregate lead.

But Lincoln roared back and, inspired by Vaughan's heroics, Gareth Ainsworth gave the Third Division club a precious lifeline.

A Mark Hone free kick was astutely headed back into the path of Ainsworth, who finished from close range.

It was all hands to the pump for the Clarets who should surely have finished Lincoln off when they were awarded their second penalty after a clumsy tackle by Jon Whitney on Weller. Strangely, David Eyres stood down for Paul Barnes to take the spot kick. Vaughan guessed right, diving to his left, and Lincoln were still in the tie.

I thought Barnes was going to disappear up the tunnel as he hid his embarrassment under his shirt with the penalty disaster summing up Barney's miserable night.

While last season's leading scorer had enough chances to have clocked up a hat-trick, he is too good a striker to let an early season loss of form undermine him.

He is a gallant forward and a gutsy operator who does not hide when things are not going his way and it will not be long before Barnes is blazing the goal trail once more.

Yet Barnes' failure from the penalty spot left Lincoln still with a marginal chance of forcing the tie into extra time.

Not surprisingly, they threw everything but the kitchen sink at Burnley in the second half, deploying three strikers in a bid to level the score.

Yet the Clarets - made of sterner stuff these days - defended resolutely and Marlon Beresford, who I have never seen playing so well, dealt with the expected bombardment, commanding his penalty area with authority.

There were one or two anxious moments for Burnley, but Lincoln's slim hopes finally evaporated as striker Lee Thorpe got his marching orders after a furious bust-up with Steve Blatherwick. The incident had resulted in an eight man punch-up.

It wouldn't have been the same without the obligatory Lincoln red-card, would it?

A terrific display from Burnley. Now keep your fingers crossed for a possible trip to Elland Road or Goodison Park next month.

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