Saturday 21st April 2007

Vics 0 v 3 Burton

Without the backbone of their side through injury and still in the middle of an almost ridiculously demanding run in to the end of the season it was not surprising that Vics capitulated against a team that neither shared their hardships but also had a clear purpose to try and achieve a play off place.

To be fair to Burton, Vics difficulties were hardly their concern and they won the game at a canter with a polished performance.
Clare wasted an early chance before the eventual outcome was created as early as the 5th minute when SHAW took advantage of a deflected pass to move forward and score.

Dean got on the end of a Townson pass to drive wide but Vics were clearly second best and DUCROS added a second with a quality and precise strike from the edge of the box. Michael Byrne ceded possession from a dangerous area but thankfully the shot from Carden flew narrowly wide.

Stride headed a Corbett free kick inches wide before Vics began to dig in and reply. Yet, such was the quality of the Burton counter attack, they fell further behind when Ducros surged down the left channel to deliver a cross to the far post where CLARE had the most menial of tasks to tap in and produce an almost insurmountable three goal first half lead.

To their immense credit Vics refused to lie down and made an effort to carry the game to Albion. Smart delivered a quality cross from the left that found Matthew Shaw in an almost identical far post position to that of Clare just before the break but his finish lacked the same conviction. Dean then had a shot blocked from directly in front of goal but they continued to remain vulnerable to a concerted break. And they might have paid the penalty had not Senior pulled off a superb save to deny Gilroy and then had Ryan Brown not cleared a return shot from off his own goal line.

Charnock "scored" from a Battersby free kick with a Maradonna copybook "hand of God" handball that earned him a booking.
Otherwise a turn and shot wide from Shaw was the best that Vics could muster as the game reached its inevitable conclusion.

?Attendance: 1,218