Burnley exit the Lancs Cup

Last updated : 15 April 2014 By Tony Scholes
Substitute Ntumba Massanka scored our goal

Hopes were high that the under-21 team, which included five players tonight who have been released by the club, could go on and win this competition for a thirteenth time, and for the first time since 1992/93, when we beat Bury in the final, but it wasn't to be.

It really did prove to be a disappointment for the Clarets who were never really able to put the Bury defence under any sort of pressure until the closing minutes, and then only after wed' pulled a goal back.

A defeat didn't look on the cards for the first half an hour of the game. Without ever really threatening the Bury goal we looked comfortable and were the better of the two sides.

Our best opportunity fell to Jason Gilchrist who had to drag a shot from behind him but placed it wide of goal.

But, eleven minutes before half time, Bury took a shock lead. Lewis Young, brother of Man United's Ashley, played the ball in from the left for Ashley Grimes whose low shot to the left of Conor Mitchell nestled into the corner of the net.

It was at this point that it became noticeable just how many of the crowd were actually Bury fans as they went up to celebrate the opening goal.

The rest of the half petered out with Bury taking in that one goal advantage and, if anything, the early part of the second half was even more disappointing and it got worse just before the hour when the Shakers doubled their lead.

They won a corner on the left which was taken by Young. He found Nathan Cameron who had the simplest of tasks to head home unchallenged.

At that point we looked down and out and it was the introduction of Ntumba Massanka with 22 minutes remaining that saw us finally start to push at Bury.

Ten minutes later the substitute collected the ball in the box and finished comfortably and suddenly we were back in it.

We got players forward and there were a few half chances. There was one good chance. It fell to Gilchrist who turned well in the box but then fired his shot just wide of goal.

The referee added on just two minutes of stoppage time, despite all the hold ups, substitutions and goals, but we'd left things too late and, on this occasion, there was to be no dramatic late goal as we've seen from this team during the season.

For five of those who played tonight - Jack Errington, Alex Coleman, Luke Conlan, Luke Gallagher and Micah Evans - it was a last Turf Moor appearance for the club with the news of them not having been retained released yesterday afternoon, and we wish them well.

Tonight's teams were;

Burnley: Conor Mitchell, Jack Errington, Alex Coleman, Tom Anderson, Luke Conlan, Micah Evans (Nathan Lowe 82), Luke Gallagher (Jamie Frost 82), Cameron Howieson, Steven Hewitt, Brad Jackson (Ntumba Massanka 68), Jason Gilchrist. Subs not used: Callum Jakovlevs, Luke Daly.

Bury: Reice Charles-Cook, Marcus Poscha, Richard Hinds, Nathan Cameron, Ben Potter, James Burke, Scott Burgess, Andrew Procter, Ashley Grimes, Lewis Young, Temitope Obadeyi. Subs not used: Rhys Williams, Robert Bourne, Sam Gibson, George Miller.

Referee: Paul Marsden.