Record breaking internationals back for the Clarets
The international break is over and the Burnley players who have been away with their respective countries will be returning to Gawthorpe ahead of Saturday’s game at Brighton this weekend.
Only five of our players were in the international squads this time and that included Nahki Wells who is currently on loan with QPR. Jόhann Berg Guðmundsson and Robbie Brady were ruled out with injuries, Matěj Vydra didn’t make the Czech squad while James Tarkowski was astonishingly left out of Gareth Southgate’s England squad.
While former Clarets Kieran Trippier and Michael Keane won England caps, it was a watching brief for our current and former goalkeepers Nick Pope and Tom Heaton in the games against Bulgaria and Kosovo. I’m sure the pair might have been relieved not to have been behind that England defence in the second of those games.
One goalkeeper did win caps though with Bailey Peacock-Farrell becoming the latest Burnley player to join our list of internationals. He’s been capped previously by Northern Ireland, making his debut in a friendly in May last year, but his appearances in the last week were his first since making the move from Leeds.
He kept a clean sheet in a friendly against Luxembourg last Thursday but, despite having an outstanding game, was beaten twice by Germany’s Marcel Halstenberg and Serge Gnabry in a 2-0 Windsor Park defeat.
His national coach Michael O’Neill praised him but also issued a warning to him that he needs to be playing first team football at club level which is not likely to be happening in the near future at Burnley.
There were milestones for two Burnley players in Dublin. They played out a 1-1 draw against Switzerland last Thursday in a Euros Qualifier. Jeff Hendrick played the whole game and in doing so reached 50 full international appearances for his country.
Five days later, he came on as a late substitute in a 3-1 friendly win against Bulgaria for cap number 51. He replaced Ronan Curtis immediately after Kevin Long had restored Ireland’s lead with his first international goal.
Long doesn’t score too many goals. He’s bagged just three in three different competitions for Burnley. The first was at Southampton in the FA Cup back in 2014 with the next two both in 2018, a league goal against Leicester and our goal at Burton in last season’s League Cup. This goal was his first ever at international level.
Finally, more goals for Wells. Bermuda were beaten 4-1 at home by Panama last week in the CONCACAF Nations League, but Wells and his country got revenge four days on when they travelled to Panama and beat them 2-0 with Wells scoring both goals.
All back to club football now, for the next four weekends at least, and then it’s the next round of international fixtures.
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