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We lined up in a 3-4-3 formations as follows: Michael Hale, Ross Preston, Neal Trotman, Danny Pitham (captain), Marc Pugh, Joe Booth, Liam Tomlinson, Tom Ince, Rhys Carpenter, Kane Hanley, Damien Hindle.
On a warm summer evening the bar was doing a roaring trade before kick off but of course that stopped at 7:00 p.m. when the game got underway. The Clarets started brightly but Padiham came storming back and could have taken the lead after just eight minutes with a shot that went narrowly wide.
In true Alan Stevenson style goalkeeper Michael Hale either judged it superbly or was thankful for some luck as he left it to then see it go inches wide of his left hand post. Come to think of it I was never sure whether it was good luck or good judgement with Stevo either.
But it was the Clarets who took the lead following a well worked move with Bacup youngster Marc Pugh finishing it off well and that was with just 13 minutes on the clock.
If we thought we were going to have things all our own way though we were to be badly mistaken but the main danger was coming from the assistant referee in the first half who appeared to have no understanding of the offside law.
Just four minutes after we had taken the lead he made the first of a series of howlers when he allowed the Padiham forward through despite being at least five yards offside and the home side drew level.
We were fortunate not to concede more goals too because of this hapless official who was having a nightmare but somehow we survived with some good defending, good goalkeeping and just a little bit of luck.
Half time came with the scores level although the young Clarets probably deserved to be in front.
We made a couple of substitutions for the start of the second half, bringing on two more schoolboys and more were brought on as the second half progressed. They all did well and provided further evidence that things are getting a lot better at Burnley Football Club in terms of youth development.
As Chaplow, O’Neill and probably Scott look set to be involved with the first team on Saturday there are more players at all levels beginning to look the part and hopefully producing first team footballers may well yet become something that Burnley can do well again.
Damien Hindle, who had such a magnificent time last season in front of goal, had one of those nights tonight when things just wouldn’t go for him. On at least three occasions in the second half he came close but perhaps should have done better.
But to his credit he kept going and late in the game there was almost a repeat of the incident at the end of last season that left him with a serious facial injury. This time he didn’t come off quite so badly after a clash with the goalkeeper but did miss out on what looked like a clear penalty against the keeper.
It has to be said that the second half was at times scrappy but then again impressive given the inexperience of our side. And if anyone was going to win it then it was going to be us.
And that is exactly what happened with just seven minutes left when Pugh added his second finishing well after another well worked move, this time down the left hand side.
Coach Terry Pashley looked pleased at the end, and so he should. He will be hoping to have a stronger squad for the first league game on Saturday but this season could be losing his players to first team calls rather than has been in the past for the reserves.
That first game will be at Gawthorpe on Saturday when we play a usually very strong Tranmere side.