United are easy winners in Youth Cup

Last updated : 13 January 2010 By Tony Scholes
Joe McKee - scored the Burnley goal
This was always going to be a tough ask for the young Clarets, and so it proved against a very talented looking United side who must be amongst the favourites to lift the trophy.

Right from the off it was clear just how difficult a night it was going to be for our lads and, other than a speculative shot from fully 30-yards by Michael King, we were up against it.

We held the score at 0-0 for just over twenty minutes before United struck three times. Davide Petrucci hit home sweetly from just outside the box to give them the lead and then came a superb second from Josh King as he curled one from the left hand side into the far corner.

William Keane lobbed the ball over Danny McDonald to make it three and but for a couple of wayward efforts and some good goalkeeping from McDonald we could have been much further behind by half time.

Early in the second half a mistake gave the ball away to King. There didn't look to be any immediate danger but he took full advantage to make it four. You wondered just how many it might be but McDonald was doing his bit in goal to keep the score down.

Both sides made substitutions with one by the visitors notable when John Cofie, who was at Burnley until November 2007, came on for United to cause us some problems with his pace and strength.

Things got even more difficult for us when Centre of Excellence defender Tom Anderson picked up two yellow cards in quick succession, leaving us to play the last twenty minutes with ten.

McDonald made more good saves, but an error by his opposite number let in Joe McKee who finished with his left foot from close range. That was with just five minutes left but United stretched the lead to four again when Keane got his second.

It all brought to an end that run of wins for our youth team, but it is unlikely they will come up against a team as good as this again all season. United really were an impressive outfit.

The teams were;

Burnley: Danny McDonald, Ed Williams, Jake McEneaney, Dave Lynch, Tom Anderson, Curtis Woods, Ross Wilson (James Taylor 66), Joe McKee, Dom Knowles, Liam Newman (Joe Jackson 66), Michael King (Stephen Edwards 74. Subs not used: Josh Cooke, Stephen Hewitt.

Manchester United: Conor Devlin, Alberto Massacci (Michele Fornasier 76), Nicholas Ajose, Scott Wootton, Sean McGinty, Ryan Tunnicliffe, Larnell Cole, Paul Pogba, William Keane, Davide Petrucci (Jesse Lingard 67), Josh King (John Cofie 63). Subs not used: Samual Johnstone, Etzaz Hussain.

Attendance: 1,036.