U18 REPORT: BURNLEY 3-1 EVERTON

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Young Clarets start inaugural Premier League Cup campaign with a win

2021-09-18T09:00:00.000Z

U18 REPORT: BURNLEY 3-1 EVERTON

Young Clarets start inaugural Premier League Cup campaign with a win

2021-09-18T09:00:00.000Z

U17s REPORT: BURNLEY 3-1 BLACKBURN ROVERS - Image 1

The Clarets’ youth team made it two cup successes in a week, beginning their U18 Premier League Cup campaign with a 3-1 victory against Everton at Gawthorpe.

Following on from Tuesday night’s win against Fleetwood Town in the Lancashire FA Professional Youth Cup, a brace from Michael Mellon and Ryan Tioffo’s header at the training ground secured three points for Tony Philliskirk’s side.

In what was Burnley’s first ever game competing in the U18 PL Cup, it was the visitors who started the quicker of the two sides and the Toffees were presented with a chance to open the scoring from the penalty spot ten minutes in.

Forward Katia Kouyate fired well over the bar though, passing up that chance, and providing a let off for the Clarets, who then grew into the game.

Midway through the first half, prolific striker Michael Mellon was presented with his first opportunity in front of goal, and he did take it. Having latched on to a long ball up-field, the U18’s captain dinked the ball over the onrushing Everton goalkeeper Jak Stewart and watched it bounce into the back of the net.

Mellon thought he’d doubled his and Burnley’s tally for the day soon after, but his glancing header past Stewart was ruled out for a tight offside call and the Clarets headed in at the break just the one goal to the good.

At half time, boss Philliskirk opted for a change with Wiktor Gromek coming on to replace U16’s player Sonny Pickup. And after Charlie Casper had denied the visitors an equaliser, that substitution paid off as Burnley got their second of the game.

Gromek showed some nice feet in the area to create space and delivered an inch-perfect ball across the area to find the head of an unmarked Ryan Tioffo, who made no mistake from a few yards out.

Everton – managed by the duo of David Unsworth and Leighton Baines – halved the deficit two minutes later as Isaac Heath found some space of his own in the Burnley box and tapped the ball into the back of the net from close range.

From then on though, the Clarets rallied and took back control of the game. Kade Ratchford made his return from injury off the bench - replacing earlier goalscorer Tioffo – and made an impact not long after.

Couch’s second half strike seals three points in North East for young Clarets

Having beat a man and driven into the box, he was crowded out by three Toffees’ defenders, but when one made a challenge on Ratchford, the ball fell to Mellon on the edge of the area.

Having already featured for the U23’s this season, Mellon showed his clinical nature to fire the ball into the bottom corner leaving Everton ‘keeper Stewart with no chance.

That his eighth goal of the season for U23’s and U18’s combined, Mellon almost bagged his ninth – and a hat trick – as the game drew to a close.

With little else on, the frontman attempted a spectacular acrobatic effort in the box which Stewart did well to keep out and prevent Burnley from extending their advantage.

The same can be said with the very last action of the cup encounter deep into time added on. Defender Nathan James saw his header rebound off the post, and when Ratchford reacted the quickest, Everton scrambled the ball of the line and away from danger to keep out his effort.

A deserved 3-1 win for the Clarets in the end to kick start our inaugural campaign in the U18 Premier League Cup.

BURNLEY: Casper, Couch, Walters, Leckie, Sassi, James, Pickup (Gromek HT), Bauress, Tioffo (Ratchford 67’), Mellon, Coppack

Subs: Moss, Westley, Bryan

Young Clarets pick up second consecutive win with victory over Magpies at Gawthorpe

Post-match at the training ground, U18’s boss Philliskirk reflected on the three points and a tough game which his side managed to come out of on top.

He said: “It was a bit like a game of basketball at times. They missed the penalty at 0-0 and that’s a key moment in the game, but I thought that our defence and willingness to keep the ball out of the back of our net was really good throughout.

“We could’ve been on the backfoot when they pulled the goal back straight after we scored, but we went again. We made the subs, and we were very progressive in our forward play.

“In a cup competition like this, all that you look for is to get off to a good start and we’ve certainly done that today in getting a 3-1 win.

“We’re in a fantastic group in the Premier League Cup alongside Everton, West Ham and Arsenal, so getting an early victory can only help us towards trying to qualify out of it.

“We’ve played in two cup competitions this week and got two wins, so I can’t ask for much more than that.”

After a heavily damaged pre-season schedule due to COVID, the U18’s have made a good start to the campaign with the victory over Everton making it three wins and a draw from six games in all competitions.

Philliskirk admitted that the influence of that irregular pre-season is still being felt though and is glad that his players now have some time to recover before their next match away at Nottingham Forest on Saturday, September 25.

“We had three U16’s players on the pitch at the start of the game again today. The lads stepping up have done really well, they’re done themselves and the club proud.

“I’m glad that we haven’t got a midweek game next week because we have ten plus players unavailable at the moment and in my opinion, that’s a consequence of us only having a one-week pre-season. The seven-day turnaround gives one or two of them a much-needed rest.”