Soccer
Burnley’s troubles deepen as Bristol City stage late fightback
Burnley’s dire start to the season under Nicky Hayen continued as Bristol City fought back in the closing stages to snatch a 2-1 victory at a tension-filled Turf Moor.
The Clarets looked on course to finally get their campaign up and running when Aaron Ramsey fired them ahead in the 56th minute.
But City levelled in the 82nd minute through Rob Dickie before a stunning strike from substitute Yu Hirakawa just as the match ticked into stoppage time made it three wins in a row for Michael Skubala’s side, who climbed into the top four.
An exasperated home support were quick to turn their ire on the club’s American owner Alan Pace after the late collapse left them with just two points from five matches under Belgian boss Hayen and rock bottom of the second tier just a few months after dropping out of the Premier League.
Reo Hatate was pitched in for his Burnley debut after the Japanese midfielder’s deadline-day transfer from Celtic, while Kyle Walker was restored to the starting line-up. Defender Igor Julio, recruited from Brighton during the week, started on the bench.
Summer signing Gibson Yah was handed his first start for City but Brian De Keersmaecker was not deemed ready for inclusion after his deadline-day arrival.
The visitors threatened early on, but Rio Cardines’ free-kick into the danger area was scrambled behind by Walker, with Jason Knight lurking.
Ramsey had the first notable attempt of the match in the eighth minute, but the Burnley midfielder blazed high over the bar after a corner broke to him on the edge of the box.
City – understandably given the form of the two teams – looked the more assured side and Lorent Tolaj had a powerful low strike deflected wide just before the half-hour.
Jed Wallace then saw a brilliant strike from the edge of the box, bound for the top corner, tipped behind by Burnley keeper Max Weiss. Scott Twine headed over from the resulting corner as the Robins cranked up the pressure.
Ramsey again shot high over from edge of the box in the closing stages of the first half as the Clarets were booed off by a section of their fanbase at the interval.
Hayen responded by sending on Anel Ahmedhodzic and Armando Broja in place of Andreas Hountondji and Hjalmar Ekdal for the start of the second half and the changes helped spark an improvement.
The breakthrough came for Burnley in the 56th minute when Hatate was picked out on the edge of box by Max Alleyne and then rolled a perfectly-weighted pass to his right, where Ramsey arrived to unleash a ferocious strike beyond Sam Tickle from 15 yards out.
The visitors began to regain the initiative in the closing quarter, however, and they levelled in the 82nd minute when Dickie powered home a header from Cardines’ corner.
There was further drama in the closing stages as Hirakawa rifled home a brilliant low strike after a corner broke to him 25 yards out, sparking anger among the home support.
