Our reward is an away tie against Manchester City. Hopes were high of a game at the Etihad but City, instead, decided it would be played at Hyde. That was until last Saturday with a late switch to Leigh Sports Village, a ground we played a Barclays Premier Reserve League game at against Blackburn in the 2009/10 season.
We face a City side, made up of their elite development squad, who have scored twelve goals in their last two games. Six of those goals came at the same venue when they beat Blackburn 6-0 and they followed that up with a 6-2 win against Sunderland, a game played at the Etihad.
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| Luke Conlan is set for a return at left-back |
Those results have taken City into third place in their Under-21 league, behind Liverpool and Fulham. They trail both by just one point.
Jordy Hiwula scored four of the goals in the Blackburn win. He got another two in the Sunderland victory as did Seko Fofana. Devante Cole, son of ex-Claret Andrew, came on as a substitute and was also on the scoresheet.
He's not the only son of an ex-Claret in their squad. The City team that beat Sunderland in that last game also included George Glendon whose dad Kevin signed for the Clarets in 1983 after impressing against us in an FA Cup tie for Hyde.
The City team for that Sunderland win was Ian Lawlor, Adam Drury, Shay Facey, Jason Denayer (Ellis Plummer), Jose Angel Tasende, George Glendon, Seko Fofana, Olivier Ntcham, Marcos Lopes (Devante Cole), Sinan Bytyqi, Jordy Hiwula. Subs not used: Billy O'Brien, Mathias Bossaerts, Kean Bryan.
Burnley go into the game with two of the players who played in the win over Exeter potentially ruled out with injury. Left-back Kyle Brownhill, who stood in for Luke Conlan at St. James' Park, is out with calf problem while Archie Love, scorer of two goals in that win, is doubtful with an ankle injury sustained in an unreported game at Leeds.
New under-21 coach Andy Farrell is looking forward to the game and has seen many of his charges already play in big games such as the FA Youth Cup semi-final against Blackburn two seasons ago.
Farrell said: "I'm looking at the group of players which got to the semi in the FA Youth Cup. It probably tells that they're a good one, really. When they're all fit and we've got everybody out on the pitch, we're as good as any of the teams that we come across.
"There's a good standard. The matches have all been against good academies and under-21 teams that probably had the odd first team player, like Lee Cattermole in the game at Turf Moor (the win against Sunderland)."
Farrell will be up against Patrick Vieira on the touchline tonight. "I would say they will be the toughest opposition," he admitted.
"You can only really look at the money that goes into the football club, where they get players from and what they spend on them.
"This is going to be a big challenge for the boys and I think it will be a tough test, but it's a challenge that we're all up for and capable of doing well in."
Farrell will have his internationals back and I expect, providing they are fit, all of Cameron Dummigan, Conlan and Cameron Howieson to come back into the team.
We could line up: Danijel Nizic, Cameron Dummigan, Alex Coleman, Tom Anderson, Luke Conlan, Micah Evans, Steven Hewitt, Cameron Howieson, Luke Gallagher, Jamie Frost, Jason Gilchrist.
Kick off tonight at Leigh Sports Village (WN7 4JY) is 7 p.m. Admission is £3 adults, £1 concessions.