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Missing were Richard Chaplow, Adam Jones, Paul Scott and Ryan Townsend and this meant that Terry Pashley had to start the game with just six scholars on the pitch with the rest of the squad made up from schoolboys at the Centre of Excellence. To a man they did Pash, themselves and Burnley Football Club proud with a performance that would have brought at least a goal had there been any justice.
Palace on the other hand were able to field a far more experienced side although not quite as experienced as the team sheet would have us belief. There, apart from informing us that this was an FA Cup tie, they included first team player Wayne Routledge but there was certainly no sign of the impressive winger when the Palace team took to the field. They did though have a full international in the side in Teeratep Winothai who has been capped by Thailand.
The Palace players, who were treated just like the first team with an overnight stay, turned out in a fine selection of footwear with players wearing silver, red and even salmon pink boots. But whatever the colour of the boots it was Palace who got off to the better start and it didn’t take long before striker Winothai showed us his main strength, blinding pace, but his first run came to nothing.
In fact it was the Clarets who got the first shot on goal through wing back Marc Pugh who hit a low shot from just outside the box that Palace keeper Cronnin could only parry. But on the quarter hour Winothai’s pace was to give the visitors the lead. He turned Clarets’ skipper Gary Carter on the half way line and then run through alone and tucked the ball past keeper Michael Hale to his right and into the bottom corner.
If things were bad with injuries before the start they got worse and just a couple of minutes later Carter had to be replaced by 14 year-old James Heywood and the Clarets reshuffled with Sean Blakey moving into defence.
Palace did dominate for a while but the Clarets got back into the game and put their defence under some pressure with the smallest player on the pitch, Tom Ince, coming closest to a goal.
But just as it looked as though we would go in just a goal down disaster struck. Central defender Neil Trotman gave away a free kick just outside the penalty area but Ben Watson’s kick, via a deflection off the wall, was straight at keeper Hale with no power whatsoever. The young goalkeeper allowed the ball to roll through his legs and over the line for a second Palace goal.
It has to be said though that this was probably Hale’s only mistake of the game and apart from this slip gave an assured performance in the Burnley goal.
A 2-0 scoreline at half time and you did start to wonder just what the score might be as the much younger Burnley team tired but they gave us a second half performance of great commitment and no little skill.
The second half proved to an even contest although Hale was certainly busier than the Palace goalkeeper. However we did enjoy some good moves by the Clarets particularly down the left hand side where Steven Richardson, Ince and Robert Grimes linked up well.
They worked their socks off and Neil Trotman was the first of a number of players to suffer with cramp, so hard did they work. For all their pressure Palace hardly created a clear cut chance during the second forty-five minutes and although in the end we go out of the cup we can do so with heads held high.
Only three of this side will be too old next season, they are Blakey, Richardson and Grimes whilst the likes of James Heywood will still be available in three years time.
Choosing a man of the match is a difficult task, they all did ever so well, but my choice is Danny Pitham who was outstanding at the back.
In twelve days time we take on Tranmere Rovers in the Lancashire FA Youth Cup at the Turf, I can only hope that these youngsters get a better turn out than the small gathering who made the effort tonight.
The teams were:
Burnley: Michael Hale, Marc Pugh, Steven Richardson, Danny Pitham, Neil Trotman (Pat McFadden 75), Gary Carter (James Heywood 17), Robert Grimes, Sean Blakey, Rhys Carpenter, Darryl Avery, Tom Ince. Subs not used: Matthew Evans, Joe Cardle, Guy Sharrocks.
Crystal Palace: Lance Cronnin, Glen Wilson, Sam Togwell, James Gibson, Gary Borrowdale, Tom Soares, Ben Watson, Teeratep Winothai (Tyrone Berry 69), Gavin Heeroo, Adam Hey, Kerem Bashkal (Gary Prigent 90). Subs not used: David Wilkinson, Nathan Simpson.