LOAN WATCH: PART ONE (2023, 4)

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Three loanees still have promotion hopes as EFL campaigns draw to a close

2023-05-09T07:00:00.000Z

LOAN WATCH: PART ONE (2023, 4)

Three loanees still have promotion hopes as EFL campaigns draw to a close

2023-05-09T07:00:00.000Z

Three loanees still have promotion hopes as EFL campaigns draw to a close

11 Clarets players are currently out on season-long loan deals across six leagues and two countries, including the Premier League, Vanarama National League North & Scottish Premiership.

That tally includes five players from the academy here at the Club, with Bobby Thomas amongst three loanees in this article to be involved in a play-off campaign. Elsewhere, up in Scotland, CJ Egan-Riley commenced the ‘split’ fixtures this week with Hibernian.

Here’s a round-up of how the first five loanees, in alphabetical order, have fared since our last edition of ‘Loan Watch’ on 1st May. Make sure to look out for ‘Loan Watch: Part Two’ to keep up to date with how the other six fared.

Bobby Thomas (Barnsley)

Having already secured their own play-off spot in Sky Bet League One, Barnsley signed the regular season off with a defeat on home soil to Peterborough United as defender Thomas faced fellow Clarets loanee Will Norris.

The visitors picked up a 2-0 victory which in turn propelled them into the top six at the expense of Derby County. They’ll take on Sheffield Wednesday over two legs for a spot at Wembley, while Thomas and the Tykes face Bolton Wanderers.

This week’s game(s): SAT – Bolton Wanderers (A – PO SF 1st Leg)

CJ Egan-Riley (Hibernian)

As mentioned above, after a fortnight without any match action, Egan-Riley and Hibs began their ‘split’ fixtures over the weekend just gone.

Lee Johnson’s men, who scraped into the top six ahead of the split, kicked off with a 2-1 win at home against St Mirren, with Egan-Riley playing the full 90 minutes. Their aim now is to finish in a European spot.

This week’s game(s): SAT – Aberdeen (A)

Dara Costelloe (Bradford City)

With the Bantams in Sky Bet League Two, Costelloe is one of those involved in the play-offs. Heading into the final week of the season, City needed just one point from two games to make sure of their place in the top seven, and that’s what they got.

Having lost 3-2 at Crewe Alexandra on Wednesday night, conceding the winner from the penalty spot in the 11th minute of time added on, they responded with a 1-1 draw at home against champions Leyton Orient yesterday to set up a play-off showdown against Carlisle United.

Irish attacker Costelloe wasn’t involved in either of the two above games however.

This week’s game(s): SUN – Carlisle United (H – PO SF 1st Leg)

Joe McGlynn (Kidderminster Harriers)

Striker McGlynn hasn’t been involved with loan club Kidderminster for a number of weeks through injury, but in the meantime Russell Penn’s side have been on a promotion charge.

They’ve now reached the play-off final in the Vanarama National League North after a 1-0 quarter-final victory at Alfreton Town on Tuesday night, and an impressive 4-1 win at King’s Lynn Town – who had finished 2nd – on Sunday in the semi-final.

The Harriers only snuck into the play-offs on the final day of the season, but only Brackley Town now stand in the way of a spot in the Vanarama National League.

This week’s game(s): SUN – Brackley Town (A – PO Final)

Lukas Jensen (Accrington Stanley)

Rounding off this edition of ‘Loan Watch: Part One’, and his season on loan, is goalkeeper Jensen.

Stanley went into the final game knowing it would take a miracle for them to avoid the drop, and a 2-1 victory at Oxford United wasn’t enough with results elsewhere going against them.

Finishing 23rd, two points off safety, they’ll play in Sky Bet League Two next season. With 35 appearances to his name for the Reds, Danishman Jensen will now return to the Clarets.