11:36am Thursday 29th November 2007
By Suzanne Geldard
A SECOND half stalemate meant Burnley's Reserves had to settle for a point at Chester City last night.
But new manager Owen Coyle was impressed with the attitude shown by both the senior and youth team players.
And he re-iterated that it was all part of the process of giving all of his squad members a chance to show their capabilities.
"Reserve games are always difficult games for senior players to go in and play with the kids, but their attitude was great," he said.
"They worked hard and for the young kids it was pleasing because we want them to aspire to the level that the senior players are playing at.
"It's a pleasing exercise. It gives players a chance to get 90 minutes fitness if they aren't starting the first team games, and equally, it gives us the chance to see the young kids in the flesh."
Burnley, observed from the stands by Coyle and his newly appointed assistant Sandy Stewart, started brightly, with a combintation of senior players and youngsters equally eager to impress their new manager.
But Chester, who also fielded a mixture of experience and youth, took the lead against the run of play.
Captain Dean Stott was patient against Paul Rutherford but couldn't stop the left winger's cross, and Chris Holroyd headed beyond a helpless Brian Jensen in the 12th minute.
After that, the Clarets lost their way a little bit and had limited attempts to get back on level terms as Chester raided the left flank.
Nik Kudiersky left Paul McManus with an opportunity to add a second, but Daniel Brown got back quickly to make an excellent tackle.
Burnley used the break to good effect, Steve Jones burst down the left and finished well across the keeper into the bottom right corner.
Ade Akinbiyi, starting up front alongside teenager Rob Turner, almost put the Clarets in front six minutes before the interval but, after holding his run before sprinting onto James O'Connor's throughball, Shaun Kelly executed a well-timed challenge just as the striker was about to pull the trigger.
Chester threatened on the stroke of half-time, but after Rutherford put another useful ball into the box, Holroyd shot straight at Jensen.
The ball wouldn't break for Burnley going forward in the second half, but Chester weren't suffering any such problems as McManus tested Jensen early on, then Adam Walker's cross at the end of an angled run was well cut out by Brown inside the area, while Tom Bradley cleared the loose ball.
Shaun Kelly, who had earlier been booked along with Akinbiyi for an altercation, thumped a header just over the bar from fullback Sean Newton's inswinging corner.
Burnley continued to find chances hard to come by, but a double substitution provided new options. Jones partnered Akinbiyi up front after Alex-Ray Harvey replaced Turner, who needed treatment for a head wound, while it was like-for-like when Alex MacDonald came on for central midfielder Adam Kay.
But, despite a brief spell of pressure in the final 15 minutes, the Clarets couldn't make the breakthrough. In the 90th minute, Ben Hoskin replaced Tom Bradley.
BURNLEY RES: Brian Jensen; Dean Stott, Daniel Brown, Nik Kudiersky, Tom Bradley; Steve Jones, Adam Kay (Alex-Ray Harvey 74), James O'Connor, Garreth O'Connor; Ade Akinbiyi, Rob Turner (Alex MacDonald 74).
Subs: Jonathan Sergeant, Lewis Craig
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