Dave's take on our last two seaside based games.

Writing for Clarets Mad Dave Thornley gets a bit of his personal angst on about the Clarets last two games and writes:

Personally, I have never liked the phrase “dropped points” in relation to a team failing to win a game they were expected to. It hints at a certain arrogance, a presumption of victory. The points are not theirs to begin with, they must be contested and won on the field of play.

So it is that when Burnley’s trip to Blackpool’s Bloomfield Road stadium on Saturday afternoon resulted in a nil-nil draw, the net result for the Clarets was one point gained, not as some would have it, two points dropped.

This despite the two teams being separated by almost the entire width of the Championship table. That said, this was a game Burnley could have won, perhaps should have won, but were thwarted by a rugged and determined defensive display from the hosts, marshalled by that wily veteran Mick McCarthy in the dugout, and an excellent display of goalkeeping from Seasiders’ keeper Maxwell.

Perhaps McCarthy took his cue from Blackpool’s nearest footballing neighbours just up the road, Fleetwood Town, who displayed a similar siege mentality when they encountered Burnley in last Wednesday evening’s fifth round FA Cup tie at Turf Moor.

Fleetwood held out until deep into stoppage time, despite having to play the entire second half with only ten men after a red card was shown for a foul on Josh Cullen. Their heroic stand was undone by Connor Roberts’ close range flicked finish. Burnley’s “reward” for their victory is a quarter-final tie at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium, a venue which, during their seasons in the Premier League, saw Burnley on the receiving end of a depressingly familiar, almost routine series of hammerings.

Could it possibly be different this time? Will it be a triumphant return to his old stamping ground for Vincent Kompany? Can his Burnley team produce a good old-fashioned FA Cup giant killing and secure themselves a semi-final trip to Wembley?

Tickets are already being snapped up by Clarets fans for a FA Cup “Away Day” in their thousands. The odds may be stacked against them, but we can all dare to dream.

The Etihad was also the venue for the somewhat controversial “White Lives Matter” fly past a few years ago. Since then, the Clarets’ Chairman Alan Pace along with Vincent Kompany, his players and staff have taken great strides in re-calibrating Burnley’s somewhat tarnished reputation.

No longer shackled to the tag of “anti-football” and/or “hoof-ball”, no longer associated with the ethos of “racist Brexit Burnley” the Clarets have evolved into a progressive US partner owned cosmopolitan, multi-cultural club, without compromising its historical traditions and values in any shape or form.

It was disturbing therefore to read weekend reports and see footage of fighting amongst Burnley “supporters” in the stands at Blackpool and the tragic death of a Blackpool fan during a pub brawl in the town.

It is my own personal instinct to regard social media postings with a level of suspicion and scepticism, but if the facts of these stories are as presented, then the reputation of the club and its followers have indeed sustained further damage and casts a dark cloud over what is otherwise turning out to be a quite glorious season.

Editor’s note: It is now confirmed by Blackpool Football Club in a statement that they are "deeply shocked and saddened" to learn that Seasiders’ fan Tony Johnson had "tragically lost his life".

The 55-year-old had been found with a serious head injury outside The Manchester bar on the Promenade in Blackpool at about 19:00 GMT on Saturday evening, Lancashire Police have said.

I advocate at present it may be best to offer our sincere condolences to Tony’s immediate family and friends and allow some time for grieving and then grant the police and "authorities" the time to factualize what happened on this tragic evening. (TEC.)

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