U18 FRIENDLY REPORT: BURNLEY 2-1 MILLERSVILLE UNIVERSITY XI

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Young Clarets defeat American outfit to record second consecutive pre-season win

2022-08-02T15:34:56.343Z

U18 FRIENDLY REPORT: BURNLEY 2-1 MILLERSVILLE UNIVERSITY XI

Young Clarets defeat American outfit to record second consecutive pre-season win

2022-08-02T15:34:56.343Z

Young Clarets defeat American outfit to record second consecutive pre-season win

Tony Philliskirk’s youth team got the better of an XI from Millersville University in America at the Burnley Training Centre, running out 2-1 winners.

Winger Vernon Masara was at the double, bagging a second half brace to seal a comeback victory after the young Clarets had fallen behind late on in the first half.

Having spent time with the first team squad, goalkeeper Charlie Casper returned to the starting lineup as one of four changes from the success against Dundee United up in Scotland.

Elsewhere, Jack Bates, Callum West and Dylan Sime all came into the team for the U18s penultimate pre-season friendly.

First Half

Starting brightly, Masara beat his man down the right wing on six minutes and squared for Sonny Pickup whose strike was palmed away by Millersville goalkeeper Bobby Bosch.

Masara also played Joe Westley through on goal at the half-hour mark, but Bosch again denied the striker.

At the other end, Casper had to be alert one-on-one to deny the visitors, with Tosin Olopade clearing up the rebound.

And though Burnley had dominated much of the play throughout the first half, the Marauders struck first four minutes before the break with Christian Vorchheimer taking advantage of a defensive mixup to curl into the back of the net.

Second Half

At the break, Joe Ashton and Lucas Wane replaced Brad Grant & Masara. The replaced pair would eventually return back onto the pitch before the end of the contest as Philliskirk made further changes, permitted due to the game being a friendly.

On 51 minutes, Westley was inches away from a leveller, stretching without success to try and tap home Wane’s cross across the face of goal.

Richy Valverde then went close for Millersville, before Masara – who had replaced Westley – had a strike saved well by Bosch under pressure from the American defence.

U16s squad member Jack McEvilly then made his bow at U18 level as a substitute, and three minutes later the Clarets were level.

Brad Grant – back on in place of Callum West – played the ball into Masara’s feet inside the box, and having turned his man, he fired an emphatic strike into the roof of the net.

Masara and Bosch were to become familiar foes, the ‘keeper denying him a second moments later at close range, while Valverde also earned his side a succession of corners with a deflected effort.

With the game in its closing stages and an end-to-end affair, the deciding goal eventually came on 88 minutes with the Grant-Masara link-up effective again. This time, a low drilled cross from Grant was poked home by the winger on the slide from a matter of yards out to seal the victory.