U23s' REACTION: Stone Urges Quick Response

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Clarets need to bounce back to keep play-off hopes alive after defeat at Sunderland

2021-03-29T17:42:36.655Z

U23s' REACTION: Stone Urges Quick Response

Clarets need to bounce back to keep play-off hopes alive after defeat at Sunderland

2021-03-29T17:42:36.655Z

U23S PREVIEW: Leeds United v Burnley - Image 1

Steve Stone is looking for his players to bounce back from defeat at Sunderland to keep their play-off hopes alive.

The Clarets lost for just the second time in six games after being blown off course at the Academy of Light.

Sunderland’s 3-0 victory in near gale-force winds leaves the Clarets still in third place in the Second Division of Premier League 2 but with three games left to hold off the chasing pack, who all have games in hand.

Stone’s side doesn’t play again until hosting Norwich City on April 12 in their final home game of the regular campaign.

And the Under-23s’ boss will expect a positive reaction from his side, which suffered their joint heaviest defeat of the campaign against a strong Black Cats side.

“They’ve done amazingly well over the last three of four months to get to where they’ve got to and now it’s time to respond to a defeat,” said Stone.

“You get beaten in a game where you think you should be competing and thinking you should be winning.

“But football doesn’t work like that and I’ve set them the challenge against Norwich and Reading, within the space of five days in a couple of weeks’ time, that they have to get something from them to get in those play-off places.

U23s' REACTION: Stone Urges Quick Response - Image 1

“That’s the challenge for them. They have done great. Blips do come along and it’s how you respond and it’s the character you show to respond to defeats.

“Everybody has defeats. Everybody has disappointing days. It’s how you respond.”

The Clarets had won four of their previous five games to move into the play-off zone.

But they come unstuck on Wearside once Sunderland had taken an early lead when Josh Hawkes punished defensive uncertainty.

Ellis Taylor then volleyed in a second – via the woodwork and a rebound off Burnley defender Richard Nartey – before the break.

And even though a superb strike from Scotland international Chris Maguire gave the hosts a flattering margin of victory, the shot-shy Clarets could have no complaints at seeing their recent fine run come to an end.

“We started poorly,” admitted Stone. “I showed the boys what this game would be about.

“I thought Sunderland would get it forward early and be aggressive in the tackle – first and second contacts – and more like the real game that is played higher up the levels.

“And we took 25-30 minutes to get to grips with that.

“Saying that, they probably only had three chances in the first half. The ball was all at their end of the pitch, but we switched off at times and the detail matters.

“I keep telling the boys that. The higher you go up you get punished and they have been punished.

“I think they had maximum six forays into our own half in the whole game and three of them have been in the back of our net. That’s what they’ve got to learn.”