Won 7-0 yesterday at Ipswich with seven different scorers.

That puts us 11 points clear of Sheffield Wednesday in second place. Their result yesterday is still to be confirmed but I believe they drew which would take then to 10 behind with 5 to play.

We play them this Tuesday, so should we win, we would then be uncatchable.

Our Results and Fixtures
https://www.uptheclarets.com/u21u18-sta ... lts-202425

Table with confirmed results
https://www.uptheclarets.com/u21u18-sta ... gue-202425

Thanks Tony. I looked all over the place for our result yesterday and wasn't able to find it.
Good win and let's hope that they can carry things through and win the title.

Silly question, but if they win the title are they promoted? Or is the league they play in dependent on the league the first team is in?

FeedTheArf wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 06, 2025 2:34 pm

Silly question, but if they win the title are they promoted? Or is the league they play in dependent on the league the first team is in?

Neither - academy football is based on the category of your academy. We are Cat 2 so play in the Professional Development League (U21) and the U18 PDL (U18).

If we gain Cat 1 status we will automatically move into Premier League 2 (U21) and U18 Premier League (U18).

But no promotions/relegations within the category.

Amazing win away to a Premier League youth team

What's the perspective on how this bodes for the future??

In my 35 years of BFC I can only remember 3 or 4 players who have broke through and gone on to have careers in the top 2/3 leagues, is this a sign of that changing??

The next Southampton/West Ham or not?

Any news on when we may apply for Cat 1 again?

Spike wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 06, 2025 4:17 pm

Any news on when we may apply for Cat 1 again?

I thought I'd read somewhere that we were hoping to be Cat 1 again this summer.

GavlarClaret wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 06, 2025 4:16 pm

What's the perspective on how this bodes for the future??

In my 35 years of BFC I can only remember 3 or 4 players who have broke through and gone on to have careers in the top 2/3 leagues, is this a sign of that changing??

The next Southampton/West Ham or not?

Dwight McNeil, Callum Styles, Bobby Thomas and Jimmy Dunne all currently playing in the top two divisions.

So there’s four right there right now all having really decent careers.

Spike wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 06, 2025 4:17 pm

Any news on when we may apply for Cat 1 again?

We have done

Socrates wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 06, 2025 4:28 pm

Dwight McNeil, Callum Styles, Bobby Thomas and Jimmy Dunne all currently playing in the top two divisions.

So there’s four right there right now all having really decent careers.

Only two of those played in our youth team. One was never taken on beyond school (Styles) and Dunne was signed at 18 from Man U.

But there are a good number of players playing in Leagues One & Two who have come through.

GavlarClaret wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 06, 2025 4:16 pm

What's the perspective on how this bodes for the future??

In my 35 years of BFC I can only remember 3 or 4 players who have broke through and gone on to have careers in the top 2/3 leagues, is this a sign of that changing??

The next Southampton/West Ham or not?

In 35 years we’ve had Mullin, Smith, Brass, Weller, Heywood, Chaplow, Lafferty, McCann, Rodriguez, McDonald, McNeil, Thomas, Anderson. There are a decent number now playing in the three divisions lower than the Championship.

Socrates wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 06, 2025 4:28 pm

Dwight McNeil, Callum Styles, Bobby Thomas and Jimmy Dunne all currently playing in the top two divisions.

So there’s four right there right now all having really decent careers.

Was abput to say, hes miles off there

ClaretTony wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 06, 2025 5:17 pm

In 35 years we’ve had Mullin, Smith, Brass, Weller, Heywood, Chaplow, Lafferty, McCann, Rodriguez, McDonald, McNeil, Thomas, Anderson. There are a decent number now playing in the three divisions lower than the Championship.

I think the key question is can our academy start producing a few more players capable of playing top end Championship/Premier League. I think it’s probably fair to say Jay and McNeil are the yardstick that we should be aiming for, but no doubt it’s not easy trying to unearth such talent especially as we are surrounded by huge clubs in the Northwest.

Ampth7 wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 06, 2025 5:53 pm

I think the key question is can our academy start producing a few more players capable of playing top end Championship/Premier League. I think it’s probably fair to say Jay and McNeil are the yardstick that we should be aiming for, but no doubt it’s not easy trying to unearth such talent especially as we are surrounded by huge clubs in the Northwest.

Its very very difficult. I know of 15 year olds at Burnley that top clubs try to take before they sign their 16 contract.
The compensation fee into Europe is different to the English leagues as well.

How do the leagues work?

Ipswich look to be in the different league to us

Burnley1989 wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 06, 2025 5:59 pm

Its very very difficult. I know of 15 year olds at Burnley that top clubs try to take before they sign their 16 contract.
The compensation fee into Europe is different to the English leagues as well.

Yep, it’s extremely competitive! Hopefully, some of them can see a pathway to our first team as opposed to joining clubs like City and risk becoming merely a number.
Trouble is, some of the wages the top clubs are paying some of their youngsters is nuts!

Ampth7 wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 06, 2025 5:53 pm

I think the key question is can our academy start producing a few more players capable of playing top end Championship/Premier League. I think it’s probably fair to say Jay and McNeil are the yardstick that we should be aiming for, but no doubt it’s not easy trying to unearth such talent especially as we are surrounded by huge clubs in the Northwest.

It would help if we could but we've lost players to big clubs because we are not Cat 1 so moving up will help. It's still difficult though with so many Cat 1 academies on our doorstep. But we have to get there and hopefully find players for our first team. If not, getting fees for players who move to clubs further down, with potential sell ons, is good.

Ampth7 wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 06, 2025 6:27 pm

Yep, it’s extremely competitive! Hopefully, some of them can see a pathway to our first team as opposed to joining clubs like City and risk becoming merely a number.
Trouble is, some of the wages the top clubs are paying some of their youngsters is nuts!

The path ways a difficult one, looking at our recent history as a yoyo club makes it really difficult for a youngster to break through. Its nobody at Burnleys fault, its just the way it is.
If youre a young CB, youve been surrounded by unbelievable players at this level, so you naturally move on.

Went 1-0 down at Sheff Wed this afternoon but a Kian McMahon-Brown penalty has brought us level

2-1 up - Benji Wetshi

Be excellent to win the title. Will help to attract better players for sure and might help get Cat 1.

Wetshi sent off and not half time yet

FCBurnley wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 08, 2025 2:44 pm

Be excellent to win the title. Will help to attract better players for sure and might help get Cat 1.

Not really - has no effect on the Cat 1 audit and it's Cat 1 that will help us attract better players. But it will be good to win it.

Now 2-2

Gonna be tough with 10 men. Was the sending off justified

FCBurnley wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 08, 2025 3:10 pm

Gonna be tough with 10 men. Was the sending off justified

Just says off the ball incident with 3 Wednesday players booked as well.

And it was 2-2 at half time

3-2 down

7 mins left and still 3-2 down

Now 4-2

Red card clearly did the damage

Lost 4-2 so two more wins needed to win the league

We are still strong favs

FCBurnley wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 08, 2025 4:06 pm

We are still strong favs

We should still win it. Game changed today with the red card.

ClaretTony wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 06, 2025 5:11 pm

We have done

Any idea when we will know if we are successful?

Didn’t we lose it through some schoolboy clerical omission?