5-0

[Paul Mellelieu]

Come on. Someone starrt this one off.

[ABBEY]

another sad occasion for me..was in coloroda for this game spreading my dads ahses on rabbit ears pass @ steamoat springs.Me and my bro went out got back to my cousins and put the net on lashed up...we fell asleep missed the game and my bro got a 32 quid bill when we got home.

[cletus]

Rovers 5 v Dingles 0 ( Short,Davis o.g, Jansen 2 ,Hignet)

April 1st 2001

att:- 23515

This was their chance for revenge....& we crushed our most bitter foes 5 bleedin nil!!

Remember the dingles being very upset at the quality of their transport, which resembled the wacky races with the odd variety club sunshine coach thrown in! ha!

I remember being on the BBE, glorious sunshine , early kick-off,(think it was a Sunday morning??) atnosphere was good but not bouncing...due to early k/o. Some guys near us had dressed in boiler suits, wellies & Zac Dingle masks.

Some Dingle player scored in front of the BBE & went into wild celebration.....only for it to be called off-side. It was a long walk back for him!

After the game, headed off back to my local, loads of singing, loads of beer, talked to some guys who`s come over from Norway for the game. Fell asleep in pub.Woke up, it was dark, went home. Next day had about a half dozen phone-calls saying i was in the LET. What had i done? Had i done something stupid whilst drunk? Nope (pheww!!) there was a big colour picture of old Cletus celebrating one of the Rovers goals. My mum went & bought the photo from the LET offices. My god, i was handsome then!

Wow, that was nearly 5 years ago. Where does time go, eh?

[Billinge End Blue]

Great day - check the link for the Blackburn End in full throttle with 'No, Nay, Never' ! (active supporting in action, which steward said 'sit down'?)

http://www.homesoffootball.co.uk/5282_BLACKBURN_ROVERS.jpg

[1864roverite]

What a bloody great day out.

The result says everything about Rovers and Bumley

[roversWASmylife]

5 Years ago today.

What a day.

[Jim J]

Spent the saturday night at my girlfriend's house(now the wife).

When I finally surfaced on the Sunday, i realised I had less than an hour to get home, changed and to the ground. Rang a taxi, arrived home to find my brother and mates waiting for me.

Anyway, got to the game just on time, and what a day it was. I had booked the monday off work too, so it was straight to the pub afterwards for a super sunday.

Oh, those were the days........

I think my 4 yr old son may have been conceived that weekend too.

[colin]

Enjoy.....

MONDAY APRIL 02 2001

Starstruck Burnley bow to superiors

BY DAVID MCVAY

(The Times)

Blackburn Rovers 5 Burnley 0

THEY transgressed the rules at Ewood Park yesterday. On the day die practical jokes were supposed to end at noon, this East Lancashire derby was something of a hoax. Do not blame Blackburn Rovers, who returned from a short break in Dubai with devastating effect. With impeccable timing, they moved into the second automatic promotion place in the Nationwide League first division for the first time this season. Better still, they have played two games fewer than Bolton Wanderers, whom they dislodged from that position.

The pranksters on April 1 actually were Burnley, allegedly on a mission to gain revenge against their bitter local rivals for a sound thrashing incurred at Turf Moor last December. The renewed hostilities ensured an intense security operation outside the ground, but inside the visiting team were in no danger of detaining anyone, performing with a

restrained and overawed temerity befitting star-struck members of the Blackburn reserve team.

In the end the home side, shorn of theft fat-cats image during a sequence of 17 league games interrupted by just one defeat, settled for five goals. Such was Bumley’s compliance and willingness to afford their opponents the freedom of the park, though, it could have been far more.

A 1960 FA Cup quarter-final tie recalled in the local newspaper, when Blackburn were on the road to Wembley and Burnley were two months from winning the old first division championship, was a reminder of greater days and some memorable matches in the region. Although this was not one of them, the nature of the victory indicates that at least one of these clubs is preparing to accept the challenge of top-flight football once again, even if its ambition at this stage will not stretch to emulating the FA Carling Premiership title achievement of 1995.

“Success for us is getting out of this division,” Graeme Souness, the Blackburn manager, said. “We have ten games left and we must go into every one as if it is the last of our lives. We will probably have to win six or seven of them.” Burnley, promoted last year and devoid of passion yesterday, are some considerable distance short of the standards set by their famous predecessors, as a tame capitulation confirmed.

By the time the grey hair and grey matter of Mark Hughes released Craig Hignett, his fellow substitute, to make it 5- 0 with seven minutes remaining, the claret and blue shirts were in a sorry state. “It is frustrating and embarrassing,” Stan Ternent, the Burnley manager, said. “But we have to put it in perspective. Blackburn are by far the best side in the division in my opinion. Make no mistake, they will be promoted.” Burnley had offered scant resistance and virtually nothing as a creative force in the first half. It got progressively worse thereafter.

During that initial 45 minutes, Blackburn had swept into a two-goal lead through the most unlikely source. Craig Short laid claim to his first goal in five years and his first for Blackburn when he diverted David Dunn’s shot beyond Nik Michopoulos after 13 minutes. Now in the twilight of his career, the former Notts County, Derby County and Everton defender perhaps did not envisage himself as an overlapping left back, but his sprightly foray down that flank to the byline elicited a second goal, hi off Steve Davis, the Burnley captain, in the 27th minute.

When Marcus Bent skimmed past Mitchell Thomas to supply Matt Jansen with his seventeenth goal of the campaign 11 minutes after the interval, the white flag of surrender had already been hoisted by Burnley. Jansen, Alan Mahon and Bent ran amok among bedraggled defenders and the curiosity was how it took Blackburn so long to score again. It was worth the wait. Jensen and Mahon exchanged passes near the halfway line and the forward executed a clinically impudent finish.

Man-to-man marking

Blackburn Rovers (3-5-2)

BRAD FRIEDEL: Clean handling and supreme agility to thwart Taylor’s header 7

JOHW CURTIS: Able and alert to what little menace came his way 6

HENNING BERG: Solid as the proverbial rock. Withstood a devious dragging boot from Weller 7

CRAIG SHORT: Clearly life in the old dog yet. Honed predatory skills because of inactivity at the back 7

JASON McATEER: As always an eager and earnest workhorse down the right 6

DAVID DUNN: Exemplary in creation and boundless energy in midfield 7

GARRY FLITCROFT: A gifted anchor role. Legs are tiring but the vision never wanes 7

ALAN MAHON: A repetitive pain syndrome to Burnley 7

DAMIEN DUFF: Not fit with a chest and rib injury. Withdrawn 5

MATT JANSEN: Hit die bar before his two goals. Stylish front running 8

MARCUS BENT: Perfect foil for Jansen, although first touch is sometimes suspect 6

SUBSTITUTES: Mark Hughes (for Berg, 73mm): Did his best, but even Sparky failed to agitate the visiting team 6

Craig Hignett (for McAteer, 67): Touches of class in brief cameo, and a neat finish 6

Stig Inge Bjornebye (for Duff, 27): Solid if not spectacular and lent width to the cause 6; Substitutes not used: E Bericovic, A Kelly.

Burnley (3-5-2)

NJK MICHOPOULOS: All Greek to him on the day. Exposed cruelly by colleagues 5

MITCHELL THOMAS: The Kenny Burns revolving door of World Cup 1978 reincarnated 3

STEVE DAVIS: An unfortunate own goal, generally lacked presence 4

IAN COX: Difficult to know who he was marking. He clearly did not 3

PAUL WELLER: Nasty dig at Berg was his most significant contribution 4

GLEN LITTLE: Did not let his head drop, but mostly treading water for 90 minutes 5

KEVIN BALL: His departure alerted neutrals to his selection 3

PAUL COOK: As anonymous as the rest of the side in uneven midfield struggle 4

GRAHAM BRANCH: More twig-like, really 3

GARETH TAYLOR: His splendid header could have made a game of it 4

JA.N MOORE: An offside “goal” but subdued far too easily 4

SUBSTITUTES: Gordon Armstrong (for Moore, 73): Brushed aside repeatedly in his short spell on the pitch 3

Andy Payton (for Ball, 60): Consistent with the rest of his team-mates, making no impression 4

Paul Smith (forBranch, 46): Mowing the grass at home would have proved more productive 4

Substitutes not used: B Maylett, P Critchton.

Booked: Weller, Little.

Referee: Alan Butler. Played advantage rule well for the second goal. Fair effort all round 7 Player ratings by David MeVay

[Ozz]

GRAHAM BRANCH: More twig-like, really 3

Paul Smith (forBranch, 46): Mowing the grass at home would have proved more productive 4

396958[/snapback]

[Neil Weaver]

Marvellous find Colin! I had that report bookmarked and for about a year after the game it was still there. Disappeared a few years ago but I remember that Graham Branch comment - a gem, as is the one about Kevin Ball. You don't get journalism like that anymore .

[92er]

"5-0 and you can't go home"

[mike at picture]

"you might as well go home", "5-0 and you cant go home", "5-0 in your cup final", "can we play you every week", "you're so sh*t it's unbelievable" - I'm not usually a singer but as an Accy blue what I felt that day transended mere words. When Hignet hit the net for number five I almost wept! Confined my celebrations to Ossy though as the Yahoo's went on their customary wrecking spree in Accy town centre!

[Radagast]

The day of the game was two days after my eighteenth birthday - I'd been at my friend's house the night before and walked home at 6am with the intention of lasting the day with no sleep - I woke up on the couch a few hours later with a hangover that has still never been topped.

The game itself I watched huddled in a little ball, exploding into star jumps at every goal and the immediately receding into the fetal position afterwards. Some day.

Edited November 9, 2006 by Radagast

[kinney]

what a day! started with a fry up, ended with a thrashing! 5-0! craig short!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! legend!

[ihateburnley]

Has anyone got any links to the highlights or even just the goals of this game? I haven't seen the goals for years and would just like to see them again.

[OhmiBRFC]

I have the game on DVD at my GF's I could copy it for you if you wished?

[LeftWinger]

I remember Dunn being interviewed about the game (I think it was Dunn). When Short scored the opener - he was running round shouting "That's the first goal I've scored in 5 years" - soon after, when he set up the Davis own goal, he was running round shouting "That's the second goal I've scored in 5 years"

Classic!

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

6 YEARS AGO TODAY BOYS 'N' GIRLS..............LET THEM NEVER FORGET IT!!!!!!!

[Darth]

In a pub in Stoke-on-Trent, with a Dingle who I didn't know, and his bird next to me.

Happy days!!

[Billinge End Blue]

Great day and victory... for various reasons I arrived at the last minute, parked up near the Havelock at approx 5 - 10 minutes before kick off. Bizarrely, my walk to Ewood was like someting from the Omega Man or 28 Days Later... I saw absolutely nobody (except maybe in a few passing cars) until Nuttall Street - got through the Riverside turnstile just as the ref blew his whistle...Craig Short - goal machine!

[Jim J]

Same again tomorrow please

[Rover_Shaun]

The 2-0 away win that season is on youtube yet this game isn't????!!!