View from the Stand: Burnley (a)
I’ve been asked to write a new segment for Read Liverpool, documenting my trips with Liverpool away from home this season, whether that be across the country or in Europe.
I’m quite fortunate in some of the places and grounds I’ve been able to visit over the last few years following Liverpool: the Allianz Arena, Nou Camp, Old Trafford, Parc des Princes and The Wanda Metropolitano, just to name a few of the standouts.
Nothing beats following your team around with your mates and everything that goes with it, from the warm beer cans, overpriced pints, lukewarm pies or the BBQ doner kebabs at full time (don’t ask).
Saturday was the third away trip of the season and Burnley was the destination – a ground that holds only great memories for myself, after my first visit last season on a cold Wednesday night in December.
It is a trip that is remembered for Xherdan Shaqiri sending me flying down rows in the away end after he sealed all three points for the Reds.
Saturday was time for my second visit to Turf Moor.
There was the usual stress of getting sorted for Saturday’s game, as it took over my life, but by Thursday, after a lot of phone calls and WhatsApp messages, tickets had been sorted.
Relief. On to Turf Moor.
Burnley is a weird place. There really isn’t much to do there or much to see – in truth, it’s everything you’d expect from Burnley, with all due respect.
It’s probably most famous for a line from The Inbetweeners Movie, rather than anything that has ever taken place in the town.
The first dilemma off the day was whether it would be a shorts or jeans weather. It was the last day of August, so not a chance I was ditching the shorts so early in the football season.
Shorts and a light jacket it was.
We got to Burnley for about 2pm, where a Wetherspoons Burger and Chips for the pre-match scran was the order of the day. Can’t beat it.
Then it was a quick stop in the pub to laugh at Manchester United dropping more points in Saturday’s early kick-off away to Southampton.
Off to the ground.
Turf Moor is great, because right by the stadium there is a cricket club where all the away fans tend to gather before the game. Saturday was no different and it was rammed with Reds fans by about 2:30pm.
Saturday’s lager of choice was Amstel, £3.50 a pint. Not great, but have paid far more.
By the way, 5:30pm kick-offs are absolutely fantastic. I’m all for starting a petition to have every Liverpool game moved to that time slot.
A whole day before the match, time in the pub, time to see your mates and by the time kick-off comes around everyone is up for it.
Nobody has to drag themselves out of bed for these, like the 12:30pm ones, which sometimes can feel like a chore, especially if the game is away from home.
Where was I? Oh yes, Saturday, cricket club, Burnley.
So after a few drinks, the topic for discussion was how Liverpool will finish the season with 114 points.
It’s happening by the way.
Come 5pm, it was time to go into the ground. All the young lads gathered right behind the goal, with familiar faces that you see all over. You could just tell it was going to be a fantastic away end before a ball had even been kicked.
The travelling Kop was in fine voice early on, and after a pretty stale start to the game, the Reds do what they do best and decide to turn it on when they feel like it.
The scoring was opened with one of the weirdest goals I’ve seen. I’m still not having that it was an own goal.
Less than five minutes later, Sadio Mane sent the away end into bedlam, making it 2-0 and following it up with a fantastic celebration.
The ‘let off’ for for the second goal was fantastic, with bodies flying everywhere, people falling down rows – how it was good to be back.
Turf Moor always seems to provide incredible moments each season. Ragnar Klavan two years ago, Shaqiri last season and now Mane.
After the two goals in such quick succession killed the game off and settled the contest before half-time, there was a party in the away end for the rest of the match.
When the game ended, it was time to keep up my very unhealthy addiction of sorting myself out with a kebab after each game.
Large doner with BBQ sauce, which went down a treat.
Liverpool Football Club top of the league and unbeaten going into the international break.
Is right, the Reds – see you at Stamford Bridge in three weeks.