FARRELL PROUD OF U21S PLAYERS FOLLOWING FIRST TEAM EXPERIENCE

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Manager reflects on important day for the academy

2025-01-15T09:00:00.000Z

FARRELL PROUD OF U21S PLAYERS FOLLOWING FIRST TEAM EXPERIENCE

Manager reflects on important day for the academy

2025-01-15T09:00:00.000Z

Manager reflects on important day for the academy

Burnley’s Emirates FA Cup tie at Reading represented a proud day for the Club’s academy, with four U21s players making the matchday squad.

Joe Bauress and Tommy McDermott started and played a key role in the match at the Select Car Leasing Stadium, while Charlie Veevers and Tom Tweedy were named on the bench.

All four are players that U21s manager Andy Farrell works with on a day-to-day basis and the long-serving boss, who himself made more than 250 league appearances for the Club between 1987 and 1994, admitted that seeing them involved was a good feeling.

“All of us are quite proud and everybody within the academy has had time around them,” he said.

“I wouldn’t have done anything with them that jumps out at you – I’ve just pushed them!

“Tony (Philliskirk – U18s Manager) and Matt (Walsh – U18s Assistant and former U16s Lead) are the same and have helped Joe in particular.

“Players ultimately get to where they get to because of themselves, all we try and do is give them a little bit of advice and information, and hope they retain it.”

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Bauress and McDermott have had very different journeys with the academy, with the former joining the Club at the age of eight and progressing through the ranks.

McDermott came through at Port Vale and made his first team debut there at the start of the 2022/23 season, before moving to Lancashire this time last year for an undisclosed fee.

Farrell continued: “Joe’s been around for a number of years, with Tony and in the academy before that.

“I don’t think an awful lot has changed about him as a player – he’s very calm, bright and aware.

“His biggest attribute is his technical ability, and he always has a good understanding of where the bodies are around him.

“He’s a typical Scouser in that he’s very competitive and has a bit of an edge to him too, but he’s a great lad.”

“Tommy’s quite excitable! He bounces around the place and has an edge to him too – he likes the confrontation and competitiveness of the game.

“He’s got good technical ability, a good range of passing and is quick.

“For me, his biggest asset is that when he’s in the right positions running in behind from the pockets he’s contributed a good number of goals and assists."

FARRELL PROUD OF U21S PLAYERS FOLLOWING FIRST TEAM EXPERIENCE - Image 2

When Academy Manager Chris Casper was appointed in November, he outlined his aim of getting more home-grown players into the first team.

That ultimately has always been the purpose of the academy and Farrell explained what kind of impact seeing their teammates do well, can have on other young prospects.

“It’s an inspiration for the rest of the group. Everybody’s looking to get into the first team and we’ve had players train with them for periods of time.

“Once you make that jump people start looking at you closer from the outside, which will help in terms of getting a potential loan move

“If you’re training and playing with the first team, you actually get to see what the game is really about.

“You think that you can play at that level but when you make that step up and the ball is rattling around, it might just be the possession boxes or finishing drills, it’s a different level.

“It helps them when they come back into the U21s as they then push the others and give them a nudge, because they expect better.”