U21S MATCH REPORT: WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS 2-0 BURNLEY

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Young Clarets’ season starts with defeat

2026-08-14T21:00+01:00

U21S MATCH REPORT: WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS 2-0 BURNLEY

Young Clarets’ season starts with defeat

2026-08-14T21:00+01:00

Conor McLeod’s first-half brace was the difference as Burnley U21s started their Premier League Cup defence with a 2-0 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Friday night.

The young Clarets had chances but were unable to find a breakthrough in this Group E match at the SEAH Stadium in Telford.

There were four changes to the side that started last week’s Lancashire FA Senior Cup final victory over Blackburn Rovers, with Lewis Forshaw coming in to keep goal.

Corey King slotted in at right-back, with Jiaming Zhang and Brandon Pouani taking their places at the top end of the pitch.

Following a fairly quit start to proceedings, a three-minute period shortly before the half hour changed the course of the game.

After McMahon-Brown cracked a header off the bar and Oli Pimlott’s effort floated narrowly wide, Wolves broke the deadlock through McLeod’s effort that wrong-footed Forshaw through a deflection.

It was 2-0 when McLeod whipped a corner straight in off the bar with 40 on the clock, and there was plenty more action before half-time.

Headers from Stanley and Zhang were centimetres away from halving the deficit, before Forshaw saved Dani Angel’s penalty that was awarded for a foul by George Brierley.

Andy Farrell replaced King and Stanley with Cameron Scott and Elijah Turahirwa respectively at the break, with the latter making his U21s debut.

The young Clarets started the second half with attacking intent and McMahon-Brown, Johnson, and Zhang all had clear sights at goal before the hour mark.

Our last two changes saw Zhang and Pouani make way for Troy Savage and Blayz Borgesson, and Savage later hit a post as Farrell’s side turned the screw.

For all of Burnley’s pressure, Wolves looked threatening on the counter and almost added a third before the end, but Forshaw dived well to his left to deny Enso Gonzalez.

The U21s’ next action sees them start their Premier League 2 season against Fulham on Friday 21st August. Kick-off at Motspur Park is 7pm.

Burnley: Forshaw, King (Scott HT), Pimlott, Stanley (Turahirwa HT), Campbell, Brierley, Johnson, Clark, Zhang (Savage 62), McMahon-Brown, Pouani (Borgesson 62)

Unused Substitutes: Grimshaw

Wolverhampton Wanderers: Brooks, Okoduwa, White, Olagunju, Lochhead, Abbey (Ashworth 83), McLeod, Xu Bin (Gonzalez 83), Angel, Rawlings, Ji (Dayman 83)

Unused Substitutes: Arnold, Nolan-Ruddock, Ballard-Matthews, Anunlopo,

Goals: McLeod 30’, 40’