FARRELL HOPES TO PLAY AGAINST MORE EXPERIENCE IN COLCHESTER FIXTURE

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The U21s coach assesses the upcoming league game

2023-08-31T14:00:00.000Z

FARRELL HOPES TO PLAY AGAINST MORE EXPERIENCE IN COLCHESTER FIXTURE

The U21s coach assesses the upcoming league game

2023-08-31T14:00:00.000Z

The U21s coach assesses the upcoming league game

Andy Farrell hopes his side will once again get to play against experienced players when they take on Colchester United on Friday - 1st September – at the JobServe Community Stadium in Professional Development League action.

The Clarets played a much more senior side than themselves in the penalty victory against Barrow AFC to claim the Lancashire FA Senior Cup, and the U21s coach believes it can only be beneficial for his side to face these kinds of opponents.

He said: “I think we’ll probably be up against two or three older players, last time we played down there they had a little bit of experience in the middle of the pitch, I think the centre-halves and a midfield player were senior.

“That’s what we want, we want a bit of a challenge for the lads and if the boys are playing against more experienced players that have played in the Football League, then for them that can only be a good thing.

The U21s have been in Professional Development League action twice so far this season but are yet to record a win in those games, with a 3-1 loss to Millwall on the opening day, and a 2-2 draw against Cardiff City last Saturday – with the Bluebirds netting with the last kick of the game.

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Farrell is confident his side are putting in strong performances, and those performances will soon turn into wins.

He added: “Hopefully we can pick up our first win, we were good against Cardiff, and I think we were very good midweek against Barrow, so hopefully we can take those performances into our game against Colchester.

“I can’t see why not, the lads are getting better as we’re progressing through the early stages of the season, so hopefully we can put another strong performance in on Friday.”

The Clarets have a competitive squad this season, and Farrell believes that is a good thing, as it pushes players that are on the fringes to play and train better, to gain a starting berth in his side.

FARRELL REFLECTS ON OWLS DEFEAT - Image 1

He finished by saying: “There’s always the potential we might lose one or two that head out on loan, but that gives other players that are waiting for a chance, an opportunity to come in and play.

“It’s then up to them to ‘grab the bull by the horns’ and give us a performance, and in turn, hold down a position in our competitive side.

“We do have a healthy bit of competition, but when we do lose three or four through injury and loan moves, we’ll look for players to fill those spaces.”