Burnley 3 Sunderland 1

Sep 20 2009 by James Hunter, Sunday Sun

A YOUNG Steve Bruce was once told he wasn’t good enough and shown the door by Burnley.

Yesterday it was Bruce’s Sunderland team that was sent packing at Turf Moor – and they certainly weren’t good enough!

Sunderland became newly-promoted Burnley’s third Premier League scalp as the Clarets maintained their 100 per cent home record.

And the fact that Sunderland are in good company – reigning champions Manchester United and top five side Everton have already come a cropper – will be no consolation at all to the Black Cats boss.

Graham Alexander’s early penalty, conceded thanks to a clumsy challenge by Anton Ferdinand, and a second-half brace from substitute David Nugent did the damage, although Darren Bent’s fifth goal of the season had brought Sunderland level just before half-time.

Sunderland were enjoying their best start to a Premier League season and riding high in seventh place when they arrived here. And they really should have kept their momentum going.

Burnley could have been dead and buried by half-time after Sunderland created enough chances to win two games in the first period.

Most fell to England Under-21 frontman Fraizer Campbell, but the £3.5m buy from Man United could not break his duck for his new club.

At the other end, Ferdinand’s rush of blood put Sunderland on the back foot and then some slack marking in the second half allowed Nugent – who rejected a move to Sunderland from Preston when then boss Roy Keane tried to sign him two years ago – to plunder his first goals since February.

Bruce made one change to the side that beat Hull 4-1 last weekend, with midfielder Lee Cattermole failing to recover from a heel problem in time to play and left-back George McCartney replacing him.

McCartney went to his usual left-back slot, which allowed Kieran Richardson to take over Cattermole’s place in the middle of the park.

Darren Bent and Fraizer Campbell continued up front, with Kenwyne Jones having to settle for a place on the bench for a second week.

Burnley boss Owen Coyle named the same side that started last weekend’s 4-0 defeat at Liverpool.