CONFIRMED DEAL: A report from Skysports this afternoon states that Burnley manager Vincent Kompany has formally resigned from his position following the team’s worst season. However, he will be replaced by the assistant manager of Man City in a matter of hours….

Burnley’s flat final day defeat to Nottingham Forest brings a curtain down on miserable campaign

Given the circumstances surrounding this game, this always promised to be an unusual spectacle.

It had been teed up a few weeks ago, in the midst of Burnley’s resurgent form, as a potential winner-takes-all final day showdown.

As it transpired, the fixture was rendered almost completely meaningless owing to Burnley’s fate being decided in the penultimate round of the season.

As for Forest, they required a near impossible goal swing of 12 assuming they lost and Luton Town beat Fulham, so for them it was an opportunity to celebrate survival.

Despite there being nothing on the game for his side, Vincent Kompany took it seriously, making just one change from the defeat to Tottenham that confirmed their relegation. He also pledged to use it as part of Burnley’s preparation for next season, where the Clarets will be plotting an immediate return from the Championship.

But it didn’t take long for Burnley’s familiar frailties to appear, just two minutes in fact.

Anthony Elanga was given far too much time and space to get a cross in from the right and Chris Wood was left inexplicably unmarked at the back post to tap home from a few yards out.

Twelve minutes later, the former Claret doubled his tally and his side’s lead, albeit on this occasion he didn’t know a great deal about it. Ryan Yates’ shot ricocheted off him and into the back of the net and, despite initially being ruled out for offside, the goal was eventually given following a VAR check.

With just 14 minutes on the clock, the game was as good as done. In that regard, Burnley were ending the season just how they had started it.

The atmosphere inside Turf Moor – already hushed as a result of the smaller crowd, with plenty opting to stay away – soon turned completely flat. A malaise engulfed the ground for the remainder of the game, perhaps even a feeling of indifference.

Given how miserable the campaign has been, that perhaps shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise.

an be said of Burnley’s measly points return of just 24 points, the club’s worst return since 1902/03 – and even that season’s return was better in reality given only two points were awarded for a win back in those days, not three.

You also have to go all the way back to 1890 for the last time the Clarets recorded five wins or fewer in a single campaign – and back then they only played 22 games. It shows the true scale of Burnley’s woes this year.

Once Forest got two in front, they didn’t show a great deal else. They didn’t have to. They sat back, denied Burnley space and cruised for the remainder of the game.