U18s FACE PARTNER CLUB AYR IN MID-SEASON FRIENDLY

Main Club Sponsor

TICKETS

SHOP

Young Clarets travel to Somerset Park this evening prior to international break

2021-10-05T09:00:00.000Z

U18s FACE PARTNER CLUB AYR IN MID-SEASON FRIENDLY

Young Clarets travel to Somerset Park this evening prior to international break

2021-10-05T09:00:00.000Z

Young Clarets travel to Somerset Park this evening prior to international break

Tony Philliskirk and the youth team will make the trip up to Scotland to face an academy-based side from one of the Clarets’ partner clubs, Ayr United.

A Scottish Championship outfit, Ayr were announced as one of Burnley’s four new partner clubs across the British Isles back in May alongside Cobh Ramblers (Republic of Ireland), Portadown (Northern Ireland) and Llandudno (Wales).

While giving the Clarets a footprint across the UK and Ireland, these partnerships have already helped the club to widen its’ scouting network in those respective regions with talented individuals being identified and assessed.

In return, Burnley are able to share their expertise in development and education with the four partner clubs as well as providing them with access to new technology such as AiSCOUT.

The Clarets have already met ‘the Honest Men’ of Ayr at academy level with Michael Jackson’s U23 side playing out a pre-season friendly against the first team at Somerset Park in the build-up to the new campaign.

U18s FACE PARTNER CLUB AYR IN MID-SEASON FRIENDLY - Image 1

With a team which included numerous first team squad members, Ayr ran out 2-1 winners that day as striker Rob Harker netted for Burnley.

And now with the opportunity to take his own U18’s team north of the border, youth team boss Philliskirk praised the partnership between the two clubs.

He said: “It’s a game and a partnership that’s absolutely fantastic from the perspective of all at Burnley.

“It’s great that we have these partner clubs including Ayr because having good relationships with them is mutually beneficial.

“We get to cast our net a little wider than we might have been able to do previously when trying to identify new talent, while we’re able to support the other clubs in their own progression.

“Me and all of the lads are looking forward to going up against them on Tuesday to see what their levels are like, and it’ll be a good way for us to head into the international break.”

The U18’s lost out 2-1 to Everton in the U18 Northern Premier League at Gawthorpe on Saturday in a game of fine margins, leaving them in eighth-place when looking at the league table with seven points from their opening six games.

U18s FACE PARTNER CLUB AYR IN MID-SEASON FRIENDLY - Image 2

And though pleased with that tally after an injury and COVID-ravaged pre-season, Philliskirk believes that the mid-season friendly against Ayr presents the chance for those making their respective returns to the squad to get some game time.

He said: “Because of what’s happened with the injury and COVID situations, there are a lot of players who have played nearly every minute of every game that we’ve played this season so far.

“As well as the league games, we’ve had quite a few in different cup competitions too, so Tuesday gives the lads who are coming back into the fold a chance to get some minutes.

“We will look if we can give some players a bit of a rest, but if not then we will just tailor our training programme around it as we have been doing over the last few weeks and months.”

Kick-off at Somerset Park on Tuesday evening – October 5 – is at 7:00PM with coverage of the game via the Clarets’ Academy Twitter page.