Burnley FC Blog: Cup howler shouldn’t hinder Beast’s legacy (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Burnley FC Blog: Cup howler shouldn’t hinder Beast’s legacy

7:51am Tuesday 8th January 2013 in Football By Stephen Cummings, Burnley FC fan columnist

SO far as this writer is aware, there is no collective noun for a set of disappointments.

Shame really, as such a word could be put to good use when describing the series of frustrations and vexations felt by Burnley supporters as they trudged away from Oakwell on Saturday evening.

First and foremost, it was annoying that Burnley exited the FA Cup in a perfectly winnable tie at Barnsley.

Prior to the Clarets’ visit, the managerless Tykes had tasted victory just once in their last 15 outings and were there for the taking. Or at least would have been had Burnley bothered to turn up.

A cup run is good for the coffers, works wonders for the confidence of players and excites supporters. But not this season.

It was also irritating that referee Paul Tierney showed Brian Stock the yellow card when Michael Duff should have been the one having his name taken. But that wasn’t nearly as irritating as Stock committing a needless and stupid foul a quarter of an hour later that reduced the Clarets’ numbers.

But the low-point of the afternoon was Brian Jensen’s inability to deal with Scott Goldbourne’s hopeful and seemingly hopeless punt into the box which led to the home side’s first win since October last year.

It was the kind of gaffe you can see every Sunday morning at Towneley Park, but not something you expect of a goalkeeper with the thick end of two decades experience.

It’s legitimate to wonder if Saturday was the last time we’ll see the Beast in a Burnley shirt. Lee Grant has established himself as first choice at Turf Moor, restricting the Dane to just one other appearance this season against Plymouth in the Capital One Cup.

But if this was the 37 year-old’s swansong for the club, don’t let his Oakwell howler be the presiding memory of him.

Recall instead his better moments; his heroics in the penalty shoot-out that famous night at Stamford Bridge, the unbreachable barrier that was the bedrock for Burnley’s superb cup win against Arsenal and his man of the match performance against Manchester United (including saving Michael Carrick’s penalty) that helped us to our very first Premier League win.

If that makes Jensen sound like a man of brilliant moments rather than a model of consistency, then cast your mind back to our most recent promotion season when he was the undisputed number one.

Oakwell may have proved a game too far, but thanks for the memories, Beast.

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