Burnley 1 Blackburn Rovers 7 - 135 years ago today

Burnley 1 McKay

Blackburn Rovers 7 (Southworth 3, Beresford, Forrest, Fecitt 2)

 The Rovers met with feeble resistance at Turf Moor on Saturday, and walked round the home contingent … but for some smart work by Poland, the record would have been even more serious than it was.

(The Burnley Gazette, Wednesday 3 October 1888)

Having won two and lost six of their opening eight fixtures, the Burnley Club Committee had been searching north of the Border for Scottish players to boost their line-up and it was believed beforehand that three new men had been secured.

In the event, only Billy McKay from Edinburgh had travelled south and his performance was to be disparaged in the local paper, reporting that ‘he was of very little use, being about the slowest man on the field’.

He did, however, score, a feat he was to repeat in his next three games, but after failing to keep his sequence going in the fifth game McKay never played again for Burnley and moved to Newcastle West at the season’s end.

After conceding fourteen goals in his last three appearances Kay made way in goal, a move that saw McFettride moved to centre-forward with Poland dropping back to don the ’keeper’s jersey.

It was the Blackburn custodian who was first into action though, Arthur fisting away early efforts from Gallocher and Yates. Poland was soon in action, denying Beresford with a smart save. McKay was then too slow to pick up a through pass from Robert McCrae before Poland made ‘a save from a magnificent shot from the right wing, amid cheers’.

‘After some further pressure the Rovers gained the first goal twenty minutes from the start. On restarting, Forrest collared the ball in midfield and, weeding his way through the home defence, scored with a splendid shot. The home defence was now fairly peppered and the Rovers soon increased their lead.’

Three goals down Burnley did manage to pull a goal back when a slipping McKay recovered his balance to finish off some fine play, in which Gallocher and Yates were prominent. This, however, was to be a temporary blip in an otherwise non-stop procession towards the home goal and ‘Poland had some awkward moments to deal with’ before on the interval Rovers nabbed ‘a fourth goal from the right wing’.

With the wind now behind them, Burnley charged forward when the second forty-five minutes got underway. Blackburn full-backs John Forbes and James Southworth did well to contain the home attack and a disheartened Burnley side were soon under pressure again, with Poland saving a great Jack Southworth shot. The Rovers centre wasn’t going to be denied, though, and picking up the ball on the left he cut inside Bury and beat Poland with a hard, low shot to make it 5-1. Two minutes later, Fecitt scored after Beresford had got to the byeline and crossed accurately.

With five minutes of the game remaining, Southworth got what was his third goal of the match, using his explosive pace to get beyond the Burnley backs before beating Poland who, despite having played a fine match, had conceded seven. It was to be the former Dundee Harp’s last game for the Clarets, as a few short weeks later he emigrated.