Burnley 4 Port Vale 2:: Gray is unhappy with leaking Clarets after Taylor scores double

Burnley caretaker boss Stuart Gray was delighted after his side secured a place in the fourth round of the FA Cup with a 4-2 win over Port Vale, but was quick to warn against conceding sloppy goals.
By The Newsroom
Published 10th Jan 2011, 09:56 BST
Updated 10th Jan 2011, 09:56 BST

Goals from Clarke Carlisle, Tyrone Mears, Chris Eagles and Graham Alexander put the tie out of sight of Jim Gannon's men, but a goal in each half from Vale midfielder Rob Taylor ensured that the Clarets could not relax until the final whistle.

Gray said: "You plan and prepare for these games, this was probably one of those games that went under the radar.

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"There were ties out there in the third round that whet people's appetites more but our professional objective was to get to the next round, we've done that, and now we can look to QPR next week.

"I'm a great believer if we have 55-60 per cent of possession we're going to hurt teams.

"We scored four against Sheffield United too which was great but we've conceded four goals in two games and we conceded two sloppy goals today. But I'd rather win every game 4-2 if it means we're winning. I'm a great believer that you defend from the front.

"We played a Port Vale side that are doing really well in League Two, they've got new manager syndrome and they had a good go. I'm glad we got the early goal because games can be won or lost in the first 20 minutes. You always want a home tie in the FA Cup.

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"Our away form is something that needs to be addressed but our record shows we've been very good at home."

On recruiting a full-time manager at Turf Moor, he said: "They're going through the process, interviewing people, but I hope that against QPR next week I'm still in a job. It's a great job, great bunch of lads, great attacking options, great team spirit."

Burnley: Grant, Mears, Carlisle, Duff (Bikey 60), Fox, Elliott (Marney 71), Alexander, Cork, Rodriguez, Iwelumo (Thompson 73), Eagles. Unused substitutes: Jensen, Edgar, Wallace, Easton.

Port Vale: Tomlinson, Yates, McCombe, Owen, Collins, Robert Taylor, Dodds (Morsy 46), Roberts, Griffith, Haldane (Rigg 78), Justin Richards (Fraser 78). Unused substitutes: Martin, Kris Taylor, Bell, Sutton.

Referee: E Ilderton (Tyne & Wear).

Man of the match: Chris Eagles.

Related topics:Port ValeBurnleySheffield UnitedClarke CarlisleGraham Alexander