By Longsider
April 17 2005

Press reports from our game against Sunderland last night. We bring you reports from the Guardian, Daily Telegraph and the Times.

Akinbiyi butts out as Sunderland go top

Chris Roberts
Saturday March 5, 2005
The Guardian

Sunderland moved to the top of the Championship for the first time since relegation in 2003 on the night when Ade Akinbiyi's Burnley debut lasted only 2 minutes before he was sent off for elbowing and attempting to headbutt George McCartney.

The striker, who also headed straight at the goalkeeper Thomas Myhre during his cameo, was a surprise addition to the bench, after struggling with a thigh strain since his £600,000 move from Stoke.

Mick McCarthy's side were a goal ahead when he departed, thanks to Liam Lawrence midway through the first half, and Marcus Stewart added a second from Chris Brown's cross with two minutes remaining as Burnley protested that Jeff Whitley had fouled Gary Cahill in the build-up.

Burnley's manager Steve Cotterill made no excuses for Akinbiyi but was critical of the referee Iain Williamson, particularly for the second goal.

"I thought the officials were poor. How can that not be a free-kick? I don't think the referee got many things correct tonight but unfortunately he got that (Akinbiyi's sending off) correct.

"Ade's apologised in the dressing room. He's had 10 days of frustration here, desperate to play for his new club and desperate to get out on the field. When he's out there he tries to do everything and he does that. I think I can safely say Ade's Burnley career will get better from here on. He's absolutely distraught."

The dismissal took some attention away from Sunderland's success, with McCarthy saying: "Perhaps he should have headed the ball when he had the chance as well as he headed George."

They moved three points clear of Wigan and Ipswich, who meet at the JJB Stadium this afternoon, a game which the Sunderland manager claims "not to give a fiddler's" about.

His side still have to play their closest rivals in April but this win was significant and bore the hallmarks of a side who could go the distance. However, McCarthy played down the importance of going top in March: "When we were third we looked enviously at first and second but we've achieved nothing yet and there will be plenty of twists and turns before the end of the season."

Sunderland missed out on promotion in the play-off semi-finals last season and Lawrence has more reason than most to wish to reach the Premiership automatically. He was at Mansfield last season and lofted a spot-kick on to the bar to allow Huddersfield to win the Third Division final at the Millennium Stadium.

Last night he headed home after a Sean Thornton corner found its way to Stewart at the back of the box and Lawrence, making his first start for five weeks after a knee injury, was on target from close range after the veteran's powerful shot ricocheted off Peter Whittingham and Micah Hyde.

Burnley (0) 0 Sunderland (1) 2

Daily Telegraph

Ade Akinbiyi, Burnley's £600,000 signing from Stoke City, was sent off within three minutes of his debut as substitute as Sunderland secured pole position in the Championship for the first time this season.

Victory last night at Turf Moor enabled them to move three points clear of Wigan and Ipswich, their closest challengers in what is developing into a two-from-three contest for automatic promotion.

However, it was the dismissal of Akinbiyi after an altercation with Sunderland defender George McCartney that was the main talking point.

Goals from Liam Lawrence and Marcus Stewart wrapped up the points for the visitors who have now lost only once in nine League encounters.

Despite midweek exertions when losing their FA Cup fifth-round replay at Blackburn, the home side showed little sign of tiredness as they began well.

However, Sunderland finished the opening period the stronger team as their quality began to shine through. Indeed, they were unfortunate not to have doubled their advantage at the break so confident did they become once they had made the breakthrough.

That came in the 26th minute when, from a Sean Thornton corner, Stewart saw his ferocious volley blocked by Mo Camara. With Burnley failing to clear, the ball fell for Lawrence to head his sixth goal of the season. A further teasing corner from Thornton almost led to a second but Lawrence's shot was scooped off the line by Peter Whittingham.

Burnley were more effective in the second half when Jean Louis Valois had a shot deflected wide while the Sunderland goalkeeper, Thomas Myhre, saved well from Graham Branch. Akinbiyi also had an attempt saved by Myhre prior to his clash with McCartney before Stewart settled the issue in the final minute, scoring from close in.

Match details

Burnley (4-1-4-1): Jensen; Duff (Akinbiyi 80), Cahill, Sinclair, Camara; Grant (Roche h-t); Branch, Whittingham, Hyde, Valois; Moore. Subs: Coyne (g), Pilkington, Scott. Booked: Roche. Sent off: Akinbiyi.

Sunderland (4-4-2): Myhre; Whitehead, Breen, Caldwell, McCartney; Lawrence, Whitley, Robinson, Thornton (Welsh 75); Stewart, Bridges (Brown 88). Subs: Alnwick (g), N Collins, D Collins. Booked: Calderwell.

Referee: I Williamson (Berks).

Akinbiyi's off night benefits Sunderland By James Ducker Burnley 0 Sunderland 2

IT WAS a performance that will have done little to dissuade the detractors that Sunderland will be anything more than cannon fodder for the Barclays Premiership next season, but on a miserable evening in Burnley last night, Mick McCarthy’s team moved three points clear at the top of the Coca-Cola Championship with a victory abetted by a moment of sheer stupidity from Ade Akinbiyi. With the Sunderland defence looking anything but assured, Steve Cotterill, the Burnley manager, handed Akinbiyi his debut with ten minutes remaining in the hope of cancelling out Liam Lawrence’s 27th-minute strike. The former Stoke City striker nearly did just that, flashing a header from Mo Camara’s cross straight at Thomas Myhre with almost his first touch, but moments later, with Burnley in the ascendancy and looking capable of drawing level, Akinbiyi lashed out at George McCartney, elbowing and then head-butting the Sunderland defender . It was an entirely unprovoked and ugly attack that left Iain Williamson, the referee, with little choice but to send the player off — and Cotterill seething. To compound his misery, Sunderland added a disputed second minutes later courtesy of Marcus Stewart, but the referee should have awarded a free kick for a foul by Jeff Whitley on Gary Cahill. Cotterill was seen motioning angrily at Akinbiyi as he left the field just two minutes and 38 seconds after being introduced as a substitute, before being accosted by a supporter furious about Akinbiyi’s actions. “He’s been here for ten days, desperate to play and full of frustration and has just lost it,” Cotterill said. “I’m not happy, but Ade was the first to put his hand up in the dressing- room afterwards and apologise. Someone tried to tell me that Ade was a loose cannon, but anyone who knows Ade knows he is not like that.” McCarthy declared himself satisfied, but it was clear that the Sunderland manager felt Burnley deserved more for their endeavour, even if the result places the pressure back on Ipswich Town and Wigan Athletic, who meet at the JJB Stadium today. “It was an efficient performance, I can’t really add to that,” he said. “Steve has done a great job with his team and they worked hard.” BURNLEY (4-1-4-1): B Jensen — M Duff (sub: A Akinbiyi, 80min), G Cahill, F Sinclair, M Camara — T Grant (sub: L Roche, 46) — I Moore, M Hyde, P Whittingham, J-L Valois — G Branch. Substitutes not used: D Coyne, J Pilkington, P Scott. Booked: Roche. Sent off: Akinbiyi. SUNDERLAND (4-4-2): T Myhre — D Whitehead, G Breen, S Caldwell, G McCartney — L Lawrence, J Whitley, C Robinson, S Thornton (sub: A Welsh, 72) — M Stewart, M Bridges (sub: C Brown, 86). Substitutes not used: N Collins, B Alnwick, D Collins. Booked: Caldwell. Referee: I Williamson.