19th Aug: A wonderful night against United

[ClaretTony]

We have to start our look back on this date some seventy years ago when one young Burnley supporter, now known as mdd2 on this message board, made his first visit to Turf Moor to see us play Arsenal on the opening day of the 1950/51 season. One man ruined the day for him, a certain Don Roper who scored the only goal of the game for Arsenal and with only three minutes remaining.

Three years later, Wolves were visitors to Turf Moor but they didn't go home with the points as Arsenal had done in 1953 although they did take a third minute lead through Johnny Hancocks. Any fears of a bad start to the season were ended in the second half. Wolves held their lead for a full hour before Les Shannon equalised and by the time Shannon had got his second with eight minutes remaining it was 4-1 with Bill Holden and Brian Pilkington also having scored.

Jimmy McIlroy scored our first goal of the 1961/62 season at Arsenal to give us a 1-0 lead but they came back to lead with two goals from Mel Charles for whom Arsenal had broken the British transfer record to sign him from Swansea three years earlier. We came home from Highbury with a point though when Gordon Harris scored a second half equaliser.

Winger Billy Gray had made his debut in that win against Wolves in 1953 and in 1967 there was much interest in new signing Frank Casper who had arrived from Rotherham and was Burnley's first signing since January 1959. His debut came against first division newcomers Coventry and they went home with nothing when Casper and then Willie Irvine, on his return from a broken leg, both scored. Coventry did pull one back seven minutes from the end. Their first ever top flight goal was a Dave Merrington own goal.

Spurs completed the double over us at the Turf in 1969. Having won 4-0 at White Hart Lane they beat us 2-0 with goals from Peter Collins and Jimmy Pearce. Memory can play tricks but I am certain that Jimmy Greaves, who for once didn't score against us, had a penalty saved by Peter Mellor.

We played at Fulham in 1972 but there will be more on that game later this morning and in 1975, having drawn 0-0 against Arsenal at home, we were held 1-1 by Everton as we kicked off the season with two home games. Ray Hankin gave us the lead ten minutes into the second half against an Everton side who had Martin Dobson in their line up. The lead lasted just five minutes with David Smallman equalising for Everton.

We were robbed in 1978 by a simply appalling decision by the officials. We drew 2-2 at home against Leicester to kick off the new season. We fell behind to a second minute Billy Hughes penalty and the score remained at 1-0 to the visitors at half time. Paul Fletcher equalised right at the start of the second half but Trevor Christie restored Leicester's lead. Peter Noble followed Hughes by scoring from the spot to earn a point.

Now to that decision. We won a corner on the left at the Bee Hole End, taken by Steve Kindon. Kindon crossed, the ball was headed out by a Leicester defender but only as far as Noble a few yards outside the box. Uwe hit home an unstoppable shot into the top corner only for the linesman to flag Kindon, who was still close to the corner flag, offside. Incredibly, referee Terry Farley, who went on to be awarded an MBE for his services to refereeing, supported his linesman and ruled out the game, much to the quiet disappointment, or should I say total anger, of the home crowd.

By the time we next played on this date things weren't as good for Burnley. We were in the fourth division, our fourth season there and lost on opening day at Rochdale. We were, by now, into the days when opening day debuts could be plentiful and Frank Casper didn't disappoint. Roger Eli, Mark Harris (on loan from Crystal Palace) and Peter Mumby were all in the starting line up while both Tony Hancock, and what an inspirational signing he was, and John Deary, and he really was an outstanding signing, both came on as substitutes.

We'd beaten Rotherham at home on the opening day in 1995 and then travelled to Stockport for the first away game. A 0-0 draw proved to be a good result for us to get the season off to a good start following relegation.

The year 2000 was a special one for us. Finally out of the bottom two divisions, we played our first home game back against Wimbledon. We beat them 1-0 with a special goal from Paul Weller who was to have his best ever season for the Clarets after missing most of two seasons due to illness.
By the time Wolves arrived at Burnley in 2006 it was already our fourth league game of the season. We'd already won two and drawn one but this was our first defeat with Jemal Johnson scoring the only goal of the game to give Wolves a 1-0 win.

That Wimbledon win in 2000 was our first at that level on the Turf for six years but in 2009 we played our first top flight home game since 1976. How special was it? With Andre Bikey coming in for his debut instead of Christian Kalvenes, none of us will ever forget that goal from Robbie Blake, the penalty save from Brian Jensen and the unbelievable noise inside Turf Moor. Not even Fergietime could rescue a point for United that night.

Unfortunately, our last two games on this date can't come close to matching that night in 2009. Three years ago, having won at Chelsea, we were beaten in our first home game by West Brom with Hal Robson-Kanu scoring the only goal. One year on and Watford won 3-1. Andre Gray, predictably, gave them an early lead before James Tarkowski equalised with his first Burnley goal. Two goals in the opening six minutes of the second half, scored by Troy Deeney and Will Hughes, gave Watford the points in a 3-1 win for them.

[Paul Waine]

That Wimbledon win in 2000 was our first at that level on the Turf for six years but in 2009 we played our first top flight home game since 1976. How special was it? With Andre Bikey coming in for his debut instead of Christian Kalvenes, none of us will ever forget that goal from Robbie Blake, the penalty save from Brian Jensen and the unbelievable noise inside Turf Moor. Not even Fergietime could rescue a point for United that night.

19th August 2009 was a very special night for all Clarets. Robbie Blake's goal gets better every time I remember it. Then the penalty miss/save by United. I said at half-time when we were 1-0 up against ManU, the champions from the previous season, that it didn't matter what happened from here. To be back in the Premier League was so good. To be beating ManU was even better.

And, here we are 11 years later, having finished last season (a very unusual season) in 10th place and it's Premier League again in a few weeks time.

UTC

[ClaretTony]

You really do have to pinch yourself at times given what’s happened at our club.

[dougcollins]

My first game at TM was also a 1-0 home defeat by Arsenal. 1969?

[Woodleyclaret]

My first home game was also a 0-1 reverse in the early sixties with Dennis Law scoring for Manure