By Longsider
January 3 2004

Burnley are through to the 4th Round of the FA Cup after comfortably seeing off Mansfield Town. Two goals from Ian Moore settled the tie and the Clarets can look forward to a potential financial windfall when the draw is made. Burnley survived the potential banana skin against an outclassed Mansfield side. The scoreline will read 2-0 but in truth it could and should have been far more.

Stan Ternent made several changes to the side beaten by Stoke with only David May keeping his place at the back, this meant that Lee Roche, Mark McGregor and James McEveley were all given starts. The one other suprise was Alan Moore who appeared out of nowhere to take a place on the bench.

Burnley started, as usual, the brighter of the two teams and should have been 3 up within the first 10 minutes. Ian Moore, Blake and Chadwick all had good chances but the Mansfield keeper was upto the task. Moore also had a good effort scrap the paint of a post shortly after Chadwick's chance and most of the crowd sensed it was only a matter of time before the opening came and it arrived on the laf hour mark with Moore heading in McEveley's cross from the left to give the Clarets a deserved lead.

Mansfield were reduced to 10 men when Clarke flattened the Beast, Brian Jensen, with his arm/elbow leaving the ref with no alternative but to show the red card. Half time and a job well done although most fans thought Mansfield would come out stronger in the second half.

In previous games Burnley have struggled against sides with 10 and even 9 men. Whilst Burnley didn't look in any real danger, Mansfield seemed to play better with the 10 men than with 11.

It wasn't long into the second half before McEveley suffered a terrible injury and was stretchered off. McEveley played well at left back and there's no doubt that we looked more solid with him in the defence than without him.

Shortly afterwards Mansfield were reduced to 9 men when Ian Moore was brought down on the edge of the box by Dimech and once again the ref had no choice but to show the red card. Blake's free kick wasn't dealt with properly by the keeper and Mooro was on hand to get his second of the match and effectively end the game.

Richard Chaplow was the next one to walk just minutes later when he was given a second yellow for kicking the ball away. Mansfield briefly rallied towards the end and Jensen made a couple of saves to keep a well deserved clean sheet.

The injury to McEveley will mean that the solid looking defence will be broken in our vital game at Crystal Palace next week but if the side can continue with the same belief we showed today, we should be alright.

Burnley will be number 3 when the draw for the 4th Round is made(on Monday) and the law of averages would say we're due to a Home tie but i wouldn't say no if we got Telford away.

Mansfield:-
Pilkington, Mendes, Dimech, Christie(Corden 45), Clarke, Hassell, Williamson, Disley(Buxton 43), Lawrence, Curtis(Artell 85), Day.

Subs:- White, Larkin

Burnley:-
Jensen, Roche, McEveley(Camara 58), May, McGregor, Chadwick(A.Moore), Weller, Grant, Chaplow, Moore, Blake.

Subs:- West, Branch and Pilkington


Ref:- Phil Prosser(Gloucestershire)