Burnley 1, Reading 0GRAHAM ALEXANDER is no spring chicken. Signed two years ago, when he was a couple of months short of his 36th birthday, the talismanic defender has defied his advancing years to appear in every one of Burnley's 59 league and cup games this season, becoming the oldest player to score for the club in the FA Cup in the process. No wonder his fellow professionals at Turf Moor made him their player of the year.
How appropriate, then, that it was Alexander's late penalty, his fourth successful spot-kick in the past three games, that settled this first leg on the 22nd anniversary of the day Burnley famously beat Orient to avoid relegation from the Football League.
Alexander rarely misses penalties, and believes his career record stands at something like 67 out of 69, so the omens were not good for the Reading goalkeeper, Marcus Hahnemann, as soon as referee Martin Atkinson spotted a tug by Andre Bikey on Steven Thompson inside the area with six minutes remaining.
Burnley's gallant push for promotion is helping to heal their League Cup hurt, when Owen Coyle's side came within minutes of making the final before two late extra-time goals by Tottenham.
"We were talking about that before the game," Alexander said. "Everyone had us dead and buried after the first leg [ of the cup semi-final], when we got beat 4-1, and we came back to draw 4-4 in normal time, so anything can happen. That stands us in good stead for the second leg now. Nothing is won after the first leg, or lost. Reading know that as well."
Moreover, Reading will be without Bikey for the return leg. Last year the Cameroon defender was sent off for pushing a medic during an African Nations Cup semi-final against Ghana. On Saturday he ripped off his shirt and, in the words of one radio reporter, "lost it", having been dismissed for a foul on Robbie Blake. Bikey ignored Hahnemann's attempts at counselling as he left the pitch.
"He's passionate but that was ultra-passionate," Hahnemann said of Bikey. "Somebody said [ Bikey] stamped on [ Blake], and if that's the case there's no place for that. I tried to just get him to relax and not do anything stupid . . . "
If Reading are going to make the play-off final, they will have to win at home tomorrow for the first time since January 27th. If it had not been for an unbeaten run of nine away games leading up to Saturday, they would not have made the play-offs at all.
Guardian Service
BURNLEY: Jensen, Duff, Carlisle, Caldwell, Kalvenes, Gudjonsson (McDonald 21), Alexander, McCann, Eagles (Thompson 58), Paterson (Rodriguez 87), Blake. Subs not used: Penny, Jordan.
READING:Hahnemann, Rosenior, Duberry, Bikey, Harding, Kebe, Matejovsky, Gunnarsson (Cisse 85), Tabb, Long, Doyle (Kitson 40). Subs not used: Federici, Stephen Hunt, Karacan. Booked: Matejovsky, Bikey.
Referee:Martin Atkinson (W Yorkshire).
