Next Game – Millwall (home)

David Livermore

I believe it is a sad reflection of our club that we have retaliated by banning Millwall fans from the Turf, as yet we are the only club to do so. In fact Portsmouth welcomed them with open arms last Saturday. Recently our own club’s safety office said he was pleased with the decision because it would mean less work for him.

But there will be no Millwall fans and for the first time in over six years there will be home supporters in the Cricket Field Stand although no indication has been given as to how many we can expect in there.

Millwall have had this hooligan problem for as long as I can remember, I certainly recall having to move very swiftly outside their old ground in the early 70s, and even the police admitted they had no idea how to resolve it. A ban on genuine innocent supporters has been the decision.

Things were going quite well for Millwall until the last problem after the play off defeat. Having won promotion they had made the play offs in their first season back in the First Division before going out to a last minute goal to Birmingham in the semi-final. That was when the problems really started that have had such a big effect on the club.

Attendances are down dramatically as technology is used to determine who can get in and they are not getting only around 7,000 a huge decrease on last season. It has had its effect on the team too with players having to be let go that manager Mark McGhee wanted to keep and no money for incoming transfers.

Neil Harris

Having ended last season in 4^th place they had high hopes for this season but they have made a similar start to the Clarets, they have one point more from one extra game, and are currently 18^th in the table.

The season got off to the most incredible of starts with a 6-0 home defeat against Rotherham and it hasn’t quite recovered since. The only wins have both been at home against early season strugglers Brighton and Grimsby.

They did though come close to holding leaders Portsmouth to a draw on Saturday but eventually went down 1-0 to a Todorov goal. They lined up for that game: Tony Warner, Ronnie Bull, Matt Lawrence (Kevin Braniff 85), Stuart Nethercott, Darren Ward, David Livermore, Christope Kinet (Neil Harris 72), Paul Ifill, Andy Roberts, Steve Claridge, Kevin Davies. Subs not used: Willy Gueret, Marcus Phillips, Robbie Ryan.

They are without Richard Sadlier, Steve Reid and more recently Tim Cahill all with long term injuries although we will still have to suffer the constantly whinging Steve Claridge up front.

They are difficult times for Millwall and they even missed out on the chance of a run in the Worthington Cup when they went out on penalties at Rushden & Diamonds, we know all about that.

Click HERE to check out Millwall’s results so far this season.

Alan was in the midfield in that side and as was the case with many from Burnley’s most successful ever youth team there was an early introduction to the first team. His debut came at Easter 1970 in a home game against Stoke City whilst just 18.

Within no time he was a regular in the side as we suffered relegation and during our first season in Division Two. However he lost his place in the side and in 1972/73 season made just two substitute appearances as we lifted the Second Division title. The likes of Martin Dobson, Geoff Nulty and Doug Collins were in midfield and it was the resurgence of Collins that cost him his place.

Those two sub appearances proved to be his last first team games in Claret and Blue, the last of coming in our first defeat of the season at home to Orient, and early in the 1973/74 season he was sold.

The Clarets agreed a fee with Sunderland and Alan went to Roker Park only to return within the week when he failed the medical. There was concern that he might have a serious, previously undetected injury but by October he was finally on his way from Turf Moor and signed for Luton Town in a £100,000 deal after 45 league appearances for the Clarets.

He was to have a long and successful career at Kenilworth Road where he made 285 league appearances in eight years before signing for Millwall in the summer of 1981. There were to be two years at the Den before he moved into non-league football. West also had a short spell on loan in America with Minnesota Kicks during his time at Luton.

There was much expected of him as a youngster at Turf Moor and he did play for the England Under 23s in 1972 whilst a Claret but he made just that one appearance for his country. A player of great skill he could so easily have been a member of our 72/73 team and it was only that’s sides ability to stay fit and play consistently that prevented the likes of Alan West from getting any games.

Click HERE for a complete list of past games between Burnley and Millwall since our first meeting in October 1930 that ended in a 2-1 win for the Clarets.

Last time in the league

Burnley 0 Millwall 0 - Nationwide League Division 1, Saturday 22^nd December 2001.

We were playing better than at any time for years and the previous six games, besides winning us 18 points, had seen the current team hit new heights. It was all set to end though on a miserable afternoon that provided us with little entertainment and no goals.

We should have known better of course, a quick glance at Millwall showed us that Mark McGhee was manager and we could expect him to come and spoil the game. He did that and they had just one shot on target all afternoon as they set out with one intention, and one intention only, to stop Burnley playing.

McGhee even admitted as much after the game once his plan had succeeded. Besides that we had the sorry sight of Steve Claridge whinging his way through 90 minutes and he appeared to spend most of that time telling referee Neal Barry what decisions to give.

It really wasn’t an appetiser for the Christmas period but it took our unbeaten run to ten games with seven of them victories. It is somewhat difficult to imagine that sort of form now, from that game we have won just 8 from 28 games since in the First Division.

To be fair to Millwall they did what they set out to do very well indeed and were well worth their point. With McGhee still in charge we can expect the same again. Hopefully this time we will get an early goal to scupper his plans.

The teams were:

Burnley: Nik Michopoulos, Dean West, Ian Cox, Arthur Gnohere, Lee Briscoe, Glen Little, Kevin Ball, Tony Grant, Alan Moore, Ian Moore (Paul Weller 64), Gareth Taylor. Subs not used: Luigi Cennamo, Gordon Armstrong, Tony Ellis, Dimitri Papadopoulos.

Millwall: Tony Warner, Matt Lawrence, Robbie Ryan, Stuart Nethercott, Sean Dyche, Marc Bircham, David Livermore, Steven Reid (Paul Ifill 60), Tim Cahill, Richard Sadlier, Steve Claridge. Subs not used: Willy Gueret, Neil Harris, Ryan Green, Ronnie Bull.

Referee: Neal Barry (Scunthorpe).