Archive Search Page

The best move by Burnley at Derby comes to a climax with this pass from Coates which led to Casper missing a glorious scoring chance.

From a much longer report by Keith McNee:
Burnley's current mood of heavily frustrated unhappiness reached a new low ebb in the sticky heat of the Baseball Ground with a third successive league defeat which leaves them two points adrift at the foot of the First Division table. Derby, badly weakened by injuries, were allowed to end their own run of poor results with a victory which would never have been on if the Clarets had possessed just one marksman.

With Sir Alf Ramsey in attendance, Ralph Coates turned on his classiest display of the season so far. The seeds which he liberally threw into Burnley's attacking effort fell on stony ground. The clarets had their unlucky moments. David Merrington was desperately unfortunate when a centre by Doug Collins was only half cleared and his right foot drive struck the angle of post and bar. Mick Docherty had similar reason to feel cheated when he shot from close range and the ball hit goalkeeper Les Green when he had little chance and threw himself at the ball.

Casper should have scored just before the interval, when Coates superbly carved the opening out of nothing with a thrust through the inside-right position, but he put the ball wide. Casper had been unlucky before this when Green was beaten all ends up with a fierce, deflected pot-shot which went inches outside.

Derby's goal came in the sixth minute from the powerful left foot of Hinton and Burnley never looked like picking themselves up off the floor afterwards.

Derby County: Green, Richardson, Robson, Durban, Rhodes, Mac-kay, Walker, Carlin, O'Hare, Hector, Hinton. Sub: Wignall (replaced Durban after 59 minutes).
Burnley: Walters, Angus, Merrington, Docherty, Waldron, Thomson, Thomas, Coates, Casper, Collins, Nulty. Sub: West (not called on).
Referee: R. C. Challis (Tonbridge).
Attendance: 26,749