Preston go second as youth league closes for Christmas

Last updated : 22 December 2014 By Tony Scholes
Ntumba Massanka is one of two Clarets with six goals

The top two on Saturday morning, before the games, were Wigan and Rochdale and they were due to meet. That game was called off which leaves Wigan with a four point advantage at the top of the league but they have played more games than the three of the four teams behind them who are separated only by goal difference.

Preston's win has taken them top of that group of four, above both Rochdale and Walsall who were surprisingly beaten at home by Blackpool, while Tranmere, who beat Carlisle on Friday, take fifth place. All of those clubs have 32 points, four less than Wigan, with Preston having a game in hand on the leaders and both Rochdale and Walsall having two games in hand.

Bury, whose game against bottom club Morecambe was also postponed, are next with just one point less and then there is a further four point drop to us and Blackpool, the Seasiders moving level on points after their win at Walsall.

Our game was the other one to fall victim to the weather but below Blackpool there is a drop of six points to Oldham, who we should have played.

In the other two games played there were wins for both Shrewsbury and Port Vale, both winning away against Fleetwood and Wrexham respectively.

It's going to be a battle for that title in 2015 but it does look as though the bottom two places will be retained by Accrington and Morecambe.

The next fixtures will be played on Saturday 3rd January with a total of seven games scheduled.

The weekend results and those next fixtures are below along with our goalscorers and the current Youth Alliance League table.

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS

Friday 19th December 2014
TRANMERE 3 CARLISLE 2

Saturday 20th December 2014
BURNLEY v OLDHAM - postponed
BURY v MORECAMBE - postponed
FLEETWOOD 1 SHREWSBURY 3
PRESTON 2 ACCRINGTON 0
ROCHDALE v WIGAN - postponed
WALSALL 0 BLACKPOOL 2
WREXHAM 0 PORT VALE 4

NEXT FIXTURES

Saturday 3rd January 2015
ACCRINGTON v WREXHAM
BLACKPOOL v PORT VALE
BURY v FLEETWOOD
CARLISLE v BURNLEY
PRESTON v SHREWSBURY
TRANMERE v ROCHDALE
WALSALL v OLDHAM

BURNLEY'S GOALSCORERS (LEAGUE & CUP)

6: BRAD JACKSON, NTUMBA MASSANKA
5: KHIUS METZ
4: JOSH DOLLING
3: CHRISTIAN HILL
2: JAMIE FROST, BRANDON WILSON
1: JAMAL CRAWFORD, SHAUN HOBSON, ANDY NUGENT, ALEX RICHARDSON, WAQAS AZAM

CURRENT LEAGUE TABLE

Team pld w d l f a pts
 
WIGAN ATHLETIC 17 11 3 3 47 18 36
PRESTON NORTH END 16 9 5 2 34 13 32
ROCHDALE 15 10 2 3 40 20 32
WALSALL 15 10 2 4 28 16 32
TRANMERE ROVERS 17 9 5 3 33 25 32
BURY 15 10 1 4 30 19 31
BURNLEY 15 8 3 4 31 21 27
BLACKPOOL 17 8 3 6 31 26 27
OLDHAM ATHLETIC 13 7 0 6 29 20 21
SHREWSBURY TOWN 16 5 4 7 32 33 19
PORT VALE 15 6 1 8 23 29 19
WREXHAM 17 5 2 10 25 38 17
CARLISLE UNITED 16 4 4 8 23 36 16
FLEETWOOD TOWN 15 4 0 11 13 35 12
ACCRINGTON STANLEY 16 1 2 13 16 42 5
MORECAMBE 18 1 1 16 13 57 4