LOAN WATCH: PART TWO (2023, 5)

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McNally & Norris continue play-off pushes as Waller rounds off season with Dolly Blues win

2023-04-24T07:45:00.000Z

LOAN WATCH: PART TWO (2023, 5)

McNally & Norris continue play-off pushes as Waller rounds off season with Dolly Blues win

2023-04-24T07:45:00.000Z

McNally & Norris continue play-off pushes as Waller rounds off season with Dolly Blues win

16 Clarets players are currently out on season-long loan deals across nine leagues and three countries, including the Premier League, Vanarama National League North & Belgian Pro League.

That tally includes nine players from the academy here at the Club, with goalkeeper Sam Waller ending the campaign on a high note at Lancaster City over the weekend. At senior level meanwhile, both Luke McNally & Will Norris have continued their play-off pushes as we head into the final weeks of the Football League season.

Here’s a round-up of how the last eight loanees, in alphabetical order, have fared over the last week. Make sure to read ‘Loan Watch: Part One to keep up to date with how the other eight fared.

Lukas Jensen (Accrington Stanley)

Goalkeeper Jensen is looking to beat the drop with Stanley in Sky Bet League One, but two narrow defeats over the last week may well have proved hammer blows to that target.

Losing 2-1 at home against Peterborough United on Tuesday night, facing fellow Clarets shot stopper Norris, the Danishman and his teammates were then beaten 1-0 at Portsmouth on Saturday. They’ve now lost nine of their last 11, and are three points off safety with three left to play.

This week’s game(s): TUE – Bolton Wanderers (A) & SAT – Cambridge United (H)

Luke McNally (Coventry City)

As referenced above, Irish youth international McNally’s target is to help Coventry into the Sky Bet Championships top six come the end of the regular league season. With the defender playing every minute for the Sky Blues since joining in January, this week they picked up four big points to help push them towards that goal.

First, in a crunch clash at Blackburn Rovers on Wednesday night, they took a point from a 1-1 draw where City’s equaliser dramatically came in the 95th minute via ‘keeper Ben Wilson.

Mark Robins’ side then beat Reading 2-1 at home on Saturday and they have now lost just one of their last 15. Sat 5th at present, they have two games remaining though others around them do have more left to play.

This week’s game(s): SAT – Birmingham City (H)

Matt Lowton (Huddersfield Town)

Also in the second tier, fellow defender Lowton has been battling relegation at the other end with Neil Warnock’s Huddersfield, and has enjoyed some success thus far with the Terriers breaking out of the bottom three. They sit a point above the drop at the time of writing with three games remaining.

Tuesday night saw Lowton as an unused substitute in the North East in a 1-1 draw at Sunderland, and Town weren’t in action at the weekend as their scheduled opponents Sheffield United were in Emirates FA Cup semi-final action at Wembley.

This week’s game(s): SUN – Cardiff City (A)

Michael Mellon (Morecambe)

Striker Mellon hasn’t been involved for Morecambe over the last month or so through injury, with Derek Adams’ side also fighting against the drop and having some success in doing so.

Mellon the star as seven Clarets gain minutes in this week’s loan watch

Picking up another three points on Saturday via an end-to-end 3-2 win away at Charlton Athletic, the Shrimps have now won their last two and are only in the relegation zone on goal difference, though others above do have games in hand.

This week’s game(s): SAT – Lincoln City (H)

Owen Dodgson (Rochdale)

Dodgson’s loan at Dale has seen him play in all bar one game since joining in January, but despite some impressive performances individually, the Greater Manchester outfit have now had their relegation from the Football League confirmed.

Drawing 2-2 at home with Tranmere Rovers on Tuesday, Dale equalised in the 93rd minute. A 1-0 defeat at Stockport County on Saturday though confirmed their fate with two games remaining, ending a 102-year stay in the EFL.

This week’s game(s): SAT – Sutton United (H)

Sam Waller (Lancaster City)

Enjoying a highly successful campaign on a personal note, shot stopper Waller has played every minute for Lancaster since joining them in October, and their Northern Premier League season has now come to an end on a high.

Finishing comfortably mid-table in 11th, the Dolly Blues beat Guiseley 2-1 at home on the final day. Waller will now return to the Clarets.

Will Norris (Peterborough United)

Four tiers higher, experienced head – and fellow ‘keeper – Norris is vying for a play-off finish with Peterborough in Sky Bet League One, and the race for the top six is going down to the wire.

As mentioned above, Darren Ferguson’s side beat Accrington Stanley 2-1 at the Wham Stadium on Tuesday night where Norris faced Jensen. The Posh though lost 3-0 at home to high-flying Ipswich Town on Saturday, who are now 16 league games unbeaten and sat in the automatic promotion spots.

Norris and Peterborough have lost two of their last three now, but are only two points outside those play-off spots with two games left to play.

This week’s game(s): SAT – Bristol Rovers (H)

Wout Weghorst (Manchester United)

Striker Weghorst’s week with United was a metaphorical rollercoaster, with a low in European action and a high back on home soil.

First appearing as a second half substitute in Spain on Thursday night, the Red Devils bowed out of the UEFA Europa League in the last-eight with a crushing 3-0 defeat to Sevilla after last week’s 2-2 draw in the first leg at Old Trafford.

Come Sunday though, Weghorst returned to Wembley for the second time with Erik ten Hag’s side, and was again successful as United made it through to the Emirates FA Cup final. Coming on in the closing stages of a goalless draw against Brighton & Hove Albion, he stepped up and scored in a 7-6 penalty shoot-out win to set up a final against rivals Manchester City.

This week’s game(s): THURS – Tottenham Hotspur (A) & SUN – Aston Villa (H)

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