Division Two: Watford 1 Burnley 0 - Tony Dewhurst's big match verdict

GRAHAM Taylor collected the Division Two accolades at Vicarage Road but forecast a prosperous future for Chris Waddle at Turf Moor.

Taylor, after all, knows a little about the trials and tribulations, the pitfalls and rewards of football management.

After a year's sabbatical, he has regained the zest for battle which had been severely blunted by the frustrations with England, Wolves and the subsequent vilification.

Remember the fly-on-the-wall video. Taylor was all but tried for treason by an unforgiving national press pack and you sense it was a crushing experience he is still trying to expunge.

Taylor observed: "Managing a football club is a tough business and the only advice I can give to Chrissy Waddle is to be your own man.

"You have to be a strong individual and I know that Chris is resilient. That is vitally important, especially for Chris who is still playing.

"I don't think any manager can be unaffected by the desire to get results and Chris will be the same at Burnley.

"When I arrived at the ground I bumped into Chris Woods and Gordon Cowans carrying the kit!

"There was assistant Glenn Roeder getting off the coach and I thought to myself that's quite a backroom team in place.

"Although Chris has surrounded himself by a lot of good people, ultimately it is his responsibility as manager to make the final decision." The expectation and hullabaloo surrounding Burnley's opening fixture was immense. Certainly as big as anything I've known in my three years covering the Clarets.

Indeed, Waddle's arrival at Turf Moor has created a rising tide of belief among the fans that perhaps success can be achieved overnight.

That is always a danger and that's why Waddle and Roeder must be given precious time to operate as they continue to strengthen, build and shape a new strategy for Burnley.

It will need patience from the fans too as the new management team endeavour to find the right blend of players and fine tune their formation.

Already, though, the signs are reasonably bright. I've never seen a squad of Burnley players so physically fit and up for the task.

And while Watford edged it on points, with a touch of fortune the Clarets could have certainly pinched a point.

But let's put circumstances into perspective for a moment. Waddle included, the Clarets had five new players making their senior Burnley debuts at Vicarage Road. And, interestingly, only five names in the starting line-up who featured in the 4-1 defeat of Watford on the final day of last season. Waddle chose young Phil Eastwood to lead the attack alongside Paul Barnes in the absence of Andy Cooke.

While Michael Williams, Steve Blatherwick and Mark Ford all showed favourable signs, they will still need time to find their feet.

And it could not have been a more demanding assignment. Watford were everything we had expected.

Bold, brassy, tough and aggressive, they lumped it forward at every opportunity. They were never pretty but more often than not successful at this level.

True, it was the best part of an hour before Burnley fired their first shot in anger, but there was enough on show to encourage the Burnley support which, numbered close on 3,000.

Waddle had the Burnley fans on their feet with glimpses of his genius on the ball. Three times I counted passes to feet from the outside of Waddle's boot which sparked first half Clarets' attacks.

Physically powerful sides have caused Burnley problems in the past, simply brushing the Clarets aside.

Yet nobody could question Burnley's commitment to the cause. Ultimately, though, the creative talents of Stuart Slater and the power of Jason Lee proved the deciding factor.

Remember Lee? He gained dubious fame by way of his bizarre hairstyle on the Fantasy Football League programme - which earned him the nickname, The Pineapple.

Yet there was nothing wrong with his potent header which finally breached Burnley's defence.

Seconds earlier Mark Winstanley had rescued Burnley, hacking Slater's goal-bound effort off the line following an outstanding save from Marlon Beresford.

In fact, the Clarets goalkeeper made a string of acrobatic saves to deny Watford either side of half-time.

But for once he was left unguarded as Lee's powerhouse header converted Tommy Mooney's centre. And only Beresford's fingertips denied Watford and Mooney a double seconds before half-time.

Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of Burnley's performance was their passing, but that will surely improve as the campaign progresses.

Yet the Clarets' best period arrived when Waddle moved into more of a floating role behind Paul Barnes and Damian Matthew was drafted into the heart of the engine room.

Suddenly Burnley were effective and vigorous in attack. First Mark Ford and Paul Barnes combined before Alec Chamberlain produced a last gasp save to stop Barnes.

With several players visibly flagging in the punishing heat, Waddle carved out a further opportunity for Barnes.

Then the impressive Chamberlain saved low to deny David Eyres from the tightest of angles as Burnley surged forward in search of an elusive goal.

"I was not disappointed at all with the performance," declared Waddle.

"Maybe we could have created a few more clear-cut chances during the game. But once we get more games under our belts then we'll definitely get better."

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