Reserves look to climb off bottom

Last updated : 10 March 2004 By Tony Scholes

Neal Trotman - on the bench as he returns from injury
Tonight they take on Barnsley, above us only on goal difference, at the Turf as we look to avenge a 6-0 defeat at Oakwell earlier in the season. That was the game when coach Ronnie Jepson blamed Arthur Gnohere for most of the goals and used the local press to launch his attack on him.

Just two seasons ago Barnsley and ourselves were cruelly pipped by Preston for the title but now both of us are facing life in the lower reserve league unless we can put some results together and looking at the two teams on view tonight, and the lack of experience, it seems unlikely.

The first team experience in the Burnley side is not limited, just non-existent, with the side being made up of ten scholars and one schoolboy with one scholar and three other schoolboys from the Centre of Excellence on the bench.

The main interest will be 6ft 3ins Irish striker Kyle Lafferty who is over training and will start tonight and in next week’s youth cup tie against Tranmere. Lafferty, a recent under 17 cap for Northern Ireland, will be joining the club next season as a scholar.

Our team tonight is: Michael Hale, Danny Pitham, Gary Carter, Ryan Townsend, Paul Scott, Marc Pugh, Darrell Avery, Joe Booth, Tom Ince, Rhys Carpenter, Kyle Lafferty. Subs: Mark Crossley, Neal Trotman, Nicky Platt, Rob Henry, Cayne Hanley.

Things are not much different for Barnsley but they do include former Sunderland midfielder Chris Lumsdon who is returning from injury but other than that it is youngsters although they are not as inexperienced as the Clarets.

Apart from a comedian and a Dr. Who the rest of the Barnsley squad is relatively unknown and they will select from:

Danny Alcock, Thomas Harban, Robert Atkinson, Ryan Laight, Dale Tongue, Nicky Rowe, Craig Rocastle, Arron Davies, Griff Jones, Adam Oldham, Tom Baker, Simon Heslop, Marc Shackleton, Richard Batley, Chris Lumsdon, Stefan Holt, Rhys Meynall.

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