Thompson brace helps keep under-23 hopes alive
Two Max Thompson goals, one four minutes before half time and the second in stoppage time, gave Burnley a 2-0 win at Reading this afternoon to keep alive our play-off hopes.
It was a Burnley team that showed four changes from the one that had drawn with Norwich with two of those brought about because of Lewis Richardson and Josh Benson remaining with the first team squad ahead of Sunday’s game against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Things didn’t start too well. We were fortunate to see Reading have two early goals disallowed for offside, the first from Femi Azeez and the second from Jayden Onen. Richard Nartey cleared one off the line and just as we thought we might be fortunate to go in level at half time, we scored the opening goal.
It came when Anthony Glennon got down the left and delivered a low cross into the box for Thompson (pictured) to place a shot into the bottom corner of the net.
More than once Reading threatened to draw level in the second half but Burnley hung on and in the third of six minutes added we confirmed the win when Thompson’s shot from just inside the penalty area on the left deflected over home goalkeeper Coniah Boyce-Clarke to confirm the win and give Thompson his tenth league goal of the season.
Coach Steve Stone was happier than he’d been four days earlier. He said: “We said don’t worry about having too much of the ball and we didn’t press them as high up the pitch today. We didn’t want to get played through because they’re a really good footballing side.
“It’s nice that they can execute it, which is what you’re asking them to do. They have done that today and they were gutsy as well. It was a tough game. Sometimes it’s not going to be pretty because they were desperate to win as well.”
The teams were;
Reading: Coniah Boyce-Clarke, Tennai Watson, Imari Samuels, Ryan East, Michael Strickland, Jeriel Dorsett (Louie Holzman 86), Kian Leavy (Claudio Osorio 79), Mamadi Camara, Femi Azeez, Jayden Onen, Thierry Nevers. Subs not used: James Holden, Conor Lawless, Augustus McGiff.
Burnley: Lewis Thomas, Marcel Elva-Fountaine (Matty Rain 55), Richard Nartey, Trialist, Anthony Glennon, Max Thompson, Anthony Gomez-Mancini, Ne-Jai Tucker, Dara Costelloe, Rob Harker (Joe McGlynn 71), Joel Mumbongo. Subs not used: Harry Allen, Jake Rooney, Dane McCullough.
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