Youths start with Merit League defeat

Neal Trotman - scored the Burnley goal

It has been all downhill since and despite high hopes on Saturday it was Macclesfield who took the points against a Burnley side that ended the game with just ten men.

Some might suggest that there is a difference in size between the two clubs but more importantly it might have been the two club’s attitudes to youth development that made the difference this week.

Whilst Burnley struggled to get a full squad together, with just two substitutes, Macclesfield arrived with a more than a full squad players and were able to include three third year scholars on the bench. The only third year scholar in our squad was Rhys Carpenter.

Macc have a big strong, physical side and Burnley’s long balls up to the diminuative Carpenter didn’t have much of an impact. Although the game was reasonably even it was the visitors who went in front when keeper Michael Hale, clearly to the annoyance of coach Pashley, was only able to get one hand to a free kick from outside the box and couldn’t prevent it from going in.

That was the only goal of the first half but Macc were soon two up after the restart when Hale was unable to keep out a header from close range after the forward was left unmarked.

For a while we looked as though we might get back into it but there was to be a further blow for the Clarets and all because we couldn’t find enough players.

Darrel Avery had been substituted and when Ryan Townsend had to come off with a facial injury that was our last throw of the dice. Shortly afterwards Carpenter had to leave the field with a rib injury and we were left to play the last 25 minutes a man short and 2-0 down.

Both Townsend and Carpenter went to hospital and in a reshuffle central defender Neal Trotman went up front to try and salvage something and did pull one back. The star of the show for the Clarets was winger Marc Pugh who Macclesfield simply couldn’t cope with.

But it is another defeat for the youngsters who need a lift from somewhere to end this run.

The team was: Michael Hale, Danny Pitham, Ryan Townsend, Neal Trotman, Gary Carter, Ross Preston, Marc Pugh, Darrel Avery, Joe Booth, Tom Ince, Rhys Carpenter. Subs: Dennis Greenwood, Nicky Platt.