BURNLEY 0 CITY 1
FA Cup 3rd Round
6th January 1991
Attendance 20,331
Scorer Hendry(52)
Ref T Simpson
City Coton, I.Brightwell, Pointon, Redmond, Hendry, Reid, White, Harper, Clarke, Megson, Ward – subs Allen(60), Brennan(unused)
Burnley Pearce, Measham, Deakin, Deary, Pender, Davis, White, Futcher, Francis, Jakub, Grewcock – subs Hamilton(67), Farrell(74)
COLIN HENDRY BOOKS CITY’S PLACE IN THE 4TH ROUND OF THE FA CUP
FROM THE PRESS BOX
TIME RUNS OUT FOR BURNLEY
CYNTHIA BATEMAN WRITING IN THE GUARDIAN 7TH JANUARY 1991
The Manchester City supporters were beginning to think the referee Trevor Simpson had been given a Mickey Mouse watch for Christmas. Six minutes of injury time seemed over generous and, given Burnley’s last gasp scrap to try to take the tie to a replay at Maine Road, made for and excruciating finish.
In the end, an extra hour might not have done Burnley much good, for their final strike lacked malice and with only seconds left, even on Simpson’s watch, Futcher was unable to get any power behind a golden chance that rolled tantalisingly close to the upright.
In the first half there seemed little to choose between two sides from opposite ends of the League spectrum. The game was more artisan than artistic and became bogged down in midfield where there was a distinct lack of imagination as to how to break the deadlock on a sodden pitch.
It took some bravery from Pointon, City’s full-back, in the second half to get the show on the road. He went in with his head to intercept a Burnley clearance on the edge of their penalty area and his subsequent cross reached White, partnering Clarke up front in the absence through injury of City’s regular strikers Heath and Quinn. Pearce brilliantly stopped Whites diving header but Hendry, covering a lot of ground, raced to meet the rebound at the far post to put City ahead.
It was the scorer as much as the score that upset the Burnley fans in the 20,331 capacity crowd: Hendry had played for their arch-rivals and neighbours Blackburn Rovers before moving to City.
White could have wrapped it up for City seconds later but, seemingly uncomfortable in his central role, he miskicked the cross Harper placed on his boot.
City’s Megson had earlier hit the post and when White moved wide to his more customary role, after Alan came on for Brightwell. City looked more confident and Burnley’s game began to fall apart.
Their best hope looked to be their £90,000 striker from Sheffield United, John Francis, who has terrific pace. Unfortunately he is so fast none of his teammates seem to be able to keep up, least of all Ron Futcher, his 34 year old striking partner.
But no sooner had someone pointed out that City’s player-manager Peter Reid, who was played in four FA Cup finals, a Milk Cup final and European Cup Winners’ Cup Final, had never been involved in a shock cup result than Futcher scared the daylights out of the City contingent with a parting shot that Coton saved only with his legs.
Fortunately for the visitors, by then Simpson had had enough.
