The reserves team is getting younger than ever

Last updated : 10 September 2003 By Tony Scholes

Neal Trotman - one of the first year scholars in the Burnley team
The only real experience in the reserves this season has come from Alan Moore and Arthur Gnohere but neither of them will be there tonight. Arthur is now trying to sort himself out in West London whilst Stan has opted on this occasion to use only two of his substitutes from Saturday’s win at Stoke, the two younger players Richard Chaplow and Matt O’Neill.

In fact O’Neill will be the oldest player on the field, it looks as though he will be employed at left back, and along with Chaplow will represent the only first team experience on show. They will line up in a squad that includes eight scholars new to the club this season and three under 16 schoolboys.

There is no doubt that we are well down on numbers and we really are now struggling at both reserve and youth level.

We will line up tonight (4-4-2):

Michael Hale, Danny Pitham, Neal Trotman, Paul Scott, Matt O’Neill, Marc Pugh, Darrel Avery, Richard Chaplow, Tom Ince, Damien Hindle, Alex Taylor. Subs: Rhys Carpenter, Mark Crossley, Ross Preston, James Heywood, Cayne Hanley.

Our visitors tonight are a side we have not played for some time at reserve team level Sheffield Wednesday. The Owls have played in the Premiership Reserve League but with them now out of Division One they have been forced out and are now playing in the Pontin’s League.

They include a new signing tonight in a line up that is considerably more experienced than Burnley’s. They have completed the signing of Guylain Ndumbu-Nsungu today from Armiens after international clearance was received from the French Football Association. The 20 year-old has been training with Wednesday and now gets his first game for them.

They have made a better start to the new season than Burnley and the team managed by Colin West have a 100% record with a 2-1 home win against Tranmere and a comfortable 3-0 win at Barnsley.

To add to that they beat Hull 1-0 away in the Pontin’s Holiday League Cup, a competition Burnley do not enter, and the winning goal was scored by former Claret Paul Smith.

Smith is now in the first team and won’t be involved tonight although there will be one former Burnley player in their side, loan player Craig Armstrong who was with us for a month from Huddersfield in the 1994/95 season.

They also boast in their side Steven Haslam the captain, John Beswetherick and Leigh Bromby who recently came close to joining Norwich after enjoying a successful loan spell there last season.

Sheffield Wednesday’s team is: Adam Ogden, Steven Haslam, Leigh Bromby, Richard Wood, John Beswetherick, Laurie Wilson, Gregg Padgett, Craig Armstrong, Richard Evans, Matt Shaw, Guylain Ndumbu-Nsungu. Subs: Robert Poulter, Scott Lowe, Marcus Orlick, Matt Hill.