Mercurial Moore adds the bite

ROBBIE Blake would probably be the first to admit that when it comes to strike partners, the Moore, the merrier!

The Clarets skipper has ploughed a lonely furrow so far this season as Steve Cotterill opted for the softly-softly approach in his first few, tentative steps as Burnley boss.

But after necessity forced Cotterill to switch to a more traditional 4-4-2 system for the first time, Moore shook off his own shackles to prove as good as his word.

Earlier in the week, Moore handed Blake a little apology for not being there when the mercurial captain needed him most.

Stuck on the right wing, the jet-heeled striker felt he was not providing the level of support crucial to any formation that leaves one man isolated up top.

And Moore must have made a solemn vow to himself because, against a toothless Crewe side there for the taking, he added bite to the side in a superb supporting role.

For me, this was possibly Moore's finest game in a Burnley shirt and the only regret was that he failed to register the goal his massive contribution merited.

Cotterill later aired the view that Moore has probably worked himself into credit for a goal he may not deserve at another time.

And hopefully the striker will take that on board, for possibly more than anyone else in the Clarets camp, here is a player who thrives on the rush of confidence a goal gives him.

Such an injection of self-belief makes Moore blossom - something that was evident in the victory at Watford last month, when a headed winner transformed his game and he subsequently ran riot in the closing stages.

His second goal of the season, against Gillingham, suddenly appears more than the consolation it was at the time - galvanising Moore's resolve to take his game to a higher level.

And abject Alex bore the full brunt as Burnley at last bagged their first home win of the season at a canter.

Moore was more like Billy Whizz, harassing and chasing down every ball as though his striking position depended on it.

What in turn becomes apparent is that, relieved of some of the burden, Blake then begins to weave his own magic and feels less inclined to try the impossible.

Suddenly, the skipper finds that extra yard needed to ping that cross-field ball, or thread one through the eye of a needle, as he did from Moore's pass for Richard Chaplow's classy goal that completed the scoring.

Moore is the Ying to Blake's Yang. Two opposing forces acting as a changing combination of negative and positive, sometimes hot, sometimes cold, but with one or the other invariably keeping Burnley's world turning.

And it soon became an afternoon of Chinese torture for Dario Gradi's men following the early breakthrough Burnley must have craved.

Chaplow and Moore had already set their sights with drives that splintered seats in the sparsely populated visiting fans' stand.

But John McGreal provided the deadly accuracy required in the 11th minute, timing his run perfectly to meet Graham Branch's flick header from Tony Grant's left wing corner.

Summer signing McGreal does not exactly make a habit of finding the net - this was only his eighth goal in nigh on 400 career appearances.

But along with Frank Sinclair, the defensive rock should be looking to chip in with several this season via the deadly, dead ball abilities of Grant and Blake.

McGreal showed that defensive duties are first on his priority list though, protecting the lead with a leggy, last ditch interception to deny Neil Sorvel a sure-fire leveller.

But that raid was sporadic and by now, buoyant Burnley were threatening with almost every foray forward.

Lee Roche, impressing in his first start of the season, came close to adding a second with a header across goal that forced Steve Foster into a frantic clearance.

More panic ensued after keeper Ben Williams spilled Branch's 25-yard drive at Blake's feet, but the skipper was driven wide before the chance fizzled out.

But three minutes before the break, the Clarets finally earned some breathing space.

Chaplow effortlessly dispossessed two Crewe players in quick succession and fed Moore, whose delicious low ball into the box was gobbled up by Blake after defender Adie Moses failed to intervene.

That meant Crewe had now conceded at least two goals in every league game so far - and four minutes after the restart the game was over as a contest.

Moore plucked a ball from the sky like he had Velcro on his boots and cut inside to feed Blake, who in return sent Chaplow scampering away.

The teenager opened his goalscoring account as a professional last season with a smart near post finish against Crewe, and he dished out a double dose with a cool-as-you-like side-foot finish.

Crewe were determined not to give up the ghost and Danny Coyne, who spent the week in an oxygen tank to shake off a hamstring injury, showed no effects by turning Lunt's piledriver onto the bar.

The Welshman then pounced on Mark Rivers' follow-up to keep the clean sheet intact.

And as the Clarets cruised home, Moore - who brought Turf Moor to its feet with a little cameo at left back, setting off an a scintillating 40-yard run that typified his overall display - came within a whisker of the goal he so deserved.

No danger was imminent, as he effortlessly controlled another high ball and instantly whipped an angled drive past Williams and off the inside of his post.

It would have been a fitting finale.