[Archived] News Article -> 2012/13 Full-Time: Rovers 1 Burnley 1

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David Dunn scored in the 5th minute of injury time to rescue a point for Rovers and save Rovers' 34-year unbeaten run against Burnley. It was a dramatic end to a game of few chances that also saw Burnley reduced to 10 men.

The game got off to a fast start, with both sides playing physically and challenging for the ball. There was certainly no shortage of commitment, but there was little quality and neither side created much in the opening exchanges. The first talking point of the match came when Jordan Rhodes got his head to the ball, but was caught in the face by a very high boot, drawing blood from the Rovers striker, but the referee chose to not award a penalty. It was a peculiar decision, but Burnley took advantage of their good fortune by pressing forward and would have taken the lead had it not been for a fine save from Kean that denied Paterson.

Burnley were enjoying a good spell of dominance and they grabbed the lead half an hour into the match. They were awarded a free-kick in a dangerous area and Wallace whipped in an excellent ball that was headed onto the post by Shackell. The Burnley captain really should have scored, but the ball came back in his direction and he reacted quickly to stab the ball home and grab his first goal for the club. The goal seemed to give Burnley added confidence and they nearly doubled their lead from another set-piece, this time Wallace choosing to shoot, but his curling effort clipped the outside of the post as Kean watched on helplessly.

Appleton tried to change things at half-time, bringing on Morris in the place of Best in an attempt to win the midfield battle and increase Rovers' attacking threat, but for the opening period of the second half Rovers failed to create any chances. Burnley looked comfortable and were happy to sit back and defend their lead, but the match was changed when Mee was sent off for a second bookable offence in the 66th minute after he had fouled Hanley. It was the full-back's second booking in seven minutes and he could have no complaints with the decision, although he tried to avoid his fate by staying on the ground long after the foul had been awarded. A renewed sense of optimism spread throughout the home crowd and Rovers pressed forward and nearly got back on level terms immediately after the dismissal when Olsson burst into the box and fired across goal, but his effort was well cut out.

Rovers pushed forward and the match began to resemble a training ground exercise as Burnley sat back and tried to hold onto their lead and it looked as if the away side would grab a famous win to end a 34-year winless run against their local rivals, but in the 5th minute of injury time Rovers finally grabbed a goal. The ball found its way to David Dunn inside of the box and the midfielder scored with a first-time left-footed finish. Dunn clearly enjoyed the goal, removing his shirt and celebrating in front of the Burnley supporters, a special moment for the lifelong Rovers supporter who has a history of scoring against Burnley.

It was a dramatic end to the game and Rovers probably deserved their point, although it was another match where they failed to create little and were outplayed for large parts of the game. Rovers sit dangerously close to the relegation zone, although it's highly unlikely that the club could drop down to League One, and this draw will go some way towards maintaining at least some feeling of pride in a club that has suffered so much over the past couple of seasons. Rovers and Burnley shared the spoils this season and neither side has had a successful league campaign, but at least Rovers supporters can still cling to a 34-year unbeaten run and hope that it might continue for years to come.

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