OWEN Coyle admitted his players had practised everything but penalties in preparation for their Carling Cup clash with Chelsea.

“I’ll be honest, we didn’t, because who thought it would get to penalties?” said the Burnley boss, able to afford himself a triumphantly wry smile.

But Coyle never had any doubts about his players’ capabilities when Ade Akinbiyi’s equaliser ensured the Clarets upset the bookmakers’ odds to reach that stage afterall.

“We’d said to the players, if it got to a penalty shoot-out, to stay true to where they’d chosen to place the ball and not change their mind,” Coyle continued.

“I’ve been there myself and missed a few, I know there’s a tendancy to do that.

“We know in Graham Alexander we have one of the best penalty takers in football.

“And we knew if they were able to score the goals, Brian Jensen, we felt, would save a minimum of one. And I’m delighted for him.”

After Wayne Bridge had missed Chelsea’s second spot kick, and Graham Alexander, Alan Mahon, Chris Eagles and Kevin McDonald had all been successful with Burnley’s first four, it was left for Wade Elliott to make it a famous five.

But Coyle felt a sense of deja vu when the winger blazed over to send the tie into sudden death.

“The lads practice a bit every now and then for a bit of fun,” said the Clarets boss.

“Wade Elliott took one at the end of training on Tuesday, off his own back, and it ended up in the same place.

“But when he stepped up, I really fancied him to score because I thought he was outstanding on the night. Wayne Bridge is a very good player, but I don’t know if he’ll come up against many opponents as tricky as Wade Elliott.

“But I think the biggest thing on the night was the team, the effort and the work ethic they showed, being prepared to really cover the grass for each other.”

And Coyle was delighted that their united front at Stamford Bridge meant more than 6,000 travelling supporters were rewarded for their own efforts.

“From a population of 70,000, to bring over 6,100 to London, with what’s going on with the world economy when money’s tight for everybody, to come and give that level of support I’m absolutely thrilled for them,” he said.

“People would have missed a day’s work, there’s a lot of travel involved and cost.

“It’s all very easy to pack 11 men behind the ball and ultimately Chelsea would pick you off anyway and you’d lose one or 2-0. You’d think, ‘well, you’ve only lost 2-0’, but you’ve contributed nothing to the game.

“So I felt when we got a chance we would try to commit players forward and give the fans something to shout about. And we did that. We obviously got the goal and had some terrific attacks.

“But regardless of how the game went and whether we’d won or lost the shoot-out, I would have said the same thing as I am now - I’d asked the players to come and make sure, given the expense and travel involved, that they rewarded the fans with a performance, and they did that.

“I’m not being smart after the event. If we’d have lost it I’d still be saying the same thing.

“Penalties, as we know, sometimes are a bit of a lottery. Sometimes they go for you, sometimes they don’t. We’re obviously delighted because it gives the town and the football club a bit of prestige involved with being in a cup event and going to the quarter finals. Obviously there are the financial rewards from that as well.

“But equally, hopefully it gives everyone in the town a lift.

“It’s important, I think, that you balance it and don’t get carried away. We’ve won a game in a cup against, for me, one of the top teams.

“All the pressure was on Chelsea - they were expected to win, and win comfortably.

“Yes, we’ve rode our luck at times, but I felt, over the piece, we’ve deserved it.

“But the Championship’s our bread and butter, and we have to make sure we’re ready come Queens Park Rangers tomorrow,” he said.