12th Aug: Glorious Twelfth at the Bridge

[ClaretTony]

By this date, games were starting to come thick and fast and we've some special days to look at for 12th August.

The most recent game came two years ago at Southampton, a game that ended 0-0, but it would be wrong to start this daily look anywhere but at Stamford Bridge one year earlier. I know they had Gary Cahill sent off early in the game but that can't take anything away from our first half performance that was simply sensational.

Two Sam Vokes goals either side of a stunner from Stephen Ward so us go in at half time with a 3-0 lead on a day when sitting watching was hard work because of the heat. Yes, Chelsea came back with goals from Alvaro Morata and David Luiz while they also had Cesc Fabregas sent off, but this was a fully deserved win and really did set us up for that fantastic start to the season.

There were some opening day games still being played. We beat Rotherham 2-1 at home in 1995 with goals from a David Eyres penalty and Tony Philliskirk. In 2001 we went to Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday at tea time in front of the live ITV Digital cameras, clashing with Dame Thora Hird on Songs of Praise on the BBC.

Gareth Taylor scored with a header and Paul Cook with a twice taken penalty. Stan Ternent got onto the pitch to try and clatter some home fans who'd got on in protest at the penalty retake and there were debuts for Arthur Gnohere and Alan Moore who both came on as substitutes.

It might not have been a win but the 1-1 draw at Bolton in 2000 was very pleasing. Lee Briscoe, Kevin Ball and Phil Gray all debuted for the Clarets back in the second tier having won promotion in the previous season. Gray scored our equaliser after Bolton had gone in front with a Per Frandsen penalty. The second half performance was outstanding from Burnley, giving us all confidence that we might, finally, be able to deal with life at the higher level.

Having won twice at the start of the 2006/07 season we had to settle for a draw in game three which was another trip to Hillsborough. Again we fell behind to a penalty scored by Steve MacLean but James O'Connor got a late equaliser. The bad news was having Andy Gray sent off right at the end of the game.

A few League Cup games to look at now. We'd already won the first leg 3-1 at Wrexham in 1980 and completed the win, beating them 2-1 at home with goals from Derek Scott and Martin Dobson, Dobbo's coming from the penalty spot.

In 1997 we got a 1-1 draw in the first leg at Lincoln when Lee Howey scored our equaliser on his debut. On the subject of debuts, Brian Jensen had not had the best of them on the opening day of the 2003/04 season but he made up for it at Chesterfield in the League Cup. Quite how we didn't win the tie I don't know given we dominated from start to finish but it ended 0-0 after extra time. Not for the only time as a Burnley goalkeeper, he was the hero when it came to the penalties. Despite Robbie Blake missing his spot kick, Chesterfield fired one way over the bar while Jensen saved two. It would have been three but he'd apparently stepped off his line for one of them and a retake was ordered.

You need something to go your way when you've lost 4-1 on the opening day of the season as happened in 2008. Three days later we went to Bury for the League Cup tie and beat them 2-0 with both goals scored by Martin Paterson.

Finally, and something that wouldn't happen today. In 1975, with the season still to start, we arranged a friendly against Blackburn Rovers on the Turf. Over 13,000 attended and I'm pleased to report that we beat our local rivals 1-0 courtesy of a Ray Hankin goal.

But the glorious 12th just had to be that day three years ago at Stamford Bridge.