Burnley relinquish top spot after draw with Derby
Derby County 0 - 0 Burnley
Burnley relinquished top spot in a drab draw against an ever improving but still relegation-threatened Derby County.
The Clarets, now second in the table on goal difference after Leeds United's victory against Middlesbrough, started well and went close twice through the outstanding Zian Flemming.
But the Rams, who move onto 42 points and remain out of the relegation zone, were resolute in defence and grew in confidence as the visitors faded.
Jerry Yates nearly broke the deadlock. His shot was brilliantly saved by Burnley keeper James Trafford. Burnley knew they were definitely in a tense battle at this stage.
A tense and disjointed second period saw very little goalmouth action. Matt Clarke almost won it for the Rams in the second of eight minutes of added time, but he could not leap high enough to nod the ball home from two yards.
READ MORE: The race to the Premier League and the fight to avoid relegation to League One.
Ultimately, this was a match full of endeavour and spirit had very little quality and only three attempts on target in total. It had the feeling of a match between two tired teams, even if they still everything to play for between now and the final day.
Both sides can also take solace in other results meaning their destiny remains in their own hands. 'ost optimists would argue that's all you can ask for at this stage of the campaign.
Derby's improved form over the five games has given them real hope of avoiding the drop with five matches remaining. Their players and fans looked delighted after the match. This could prove to be a very important point for them.
Their boss John Eustace spoke with pride to various media outlets after the match. He also claimed that they could maybe stolen all three points towards the end.
The chances for Yates and Clarke towards the end of each half could easily have seen John Eustace's side make it five wins from six. That would have seriously dented Burnley's automatic promotion hopes.
The Clarets will lament three close calls for Flemming. Despite the lack of quality elsewhere on the pitch, the Burnley number 19 caused problems for the Derby defence all night. In the end, him and the rest of his team had to settle for a draw.
Best Burnley reaction from someone in the away end
Kieran Thomas, a loyal Burnley supporter who made the trip to watch from the away end, shared his thoughts after the final whistle: It took a while for the match to really come to life, but once it did, we were on top and looked the better side for a good spell. We had control and created chances, it felt like we should’ve taken more from the game."
He added: "They’re scrapping for survival at the bottom of the table and have picked up some decent home results recently, so they'll probably see this as a point gained. For us, it felt more like two dropped, especially when news came through that Leeds had beaten Middlesbrough. The one bit of positive news was hearing that Sheffield United had suffered another defeat. It's going to be a dramatic end to the season. I just hope that we can get over the line."
