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So what to make of the season so far, and what lies ahead for our second string under the leadership of supremo Ronnie Jepson?
The first, and most obvious point to mention, is that the reserves are having an excellent season, one of their best for a long time. As the legions of claptrappers like to state, Stan does not have a large first team squad to draw upon; consequently this has a knock on effect on the reserves with Ronnie having to rely upon the services of several inexperienced youth team players. Already, Paul Barrett, Richard Chaplow, Damien Hindle, Liam Eves, and Paul Scott have made their debuts, whilst Earl Davis, Joel Pilkington, Mark Rasmussen, Andrew Waine , Darren Leeson and Matthew O'Neill all feature regularly. That they have all done so well speaks volumes for the depth of talent at the club.
Of course they have been helped by the regular inclusion of fringe first teamers and players returning from injury. The signing of Tony Ellis in August raised more than a few eyebrows, but this could prove to be one of Stan's more astute signings. Ellis' function at the club, apart from the occasional cameo first team appearance, would seem to be to provide essential experience for our younger strikers, particularly Dimitri Papadopoulos and Anthony Shandran. Watching Ellis creating space, holding the ball and laying it off with clever flicks is a delight. Papa especially must appreciate playing alongside him, and it's clear that his game is benefiting. Ellis may be approaching the end of his playing career, but his influence is enormous. He has appeared in only 8 of the 12 games so far; even though he has yet to score himself, the reserves have scored 22 of their 25 goals in these matches.
Another astute piece of thinking was to appoint Ronnie Jepson to the coaching staff in the summer. Although not the fleetest of foot on the field (indeed, he was once memorably named The Tortoise of Turf Moor following the results of a London Clarets survey), his motivational skills were always evident both on the pitch and from the sidelines. After all, given the choice of running through a brick wall or getting a bollocking from Ronnie, which would you opt for? However, since taking over from Mick Docherty as reserve team coach at the start of September, Ronnie has adopted a somewhat laidback approach to his charges from the touchline, with only the occasional bark to send shivers down the spine of some unfortunate soul. Contrast this with Mick Doc, whose blood pressure and tonsils you had to fear for during each game.
Since taking control Ronnie's record has been impressive, going seven games unbeaten before the disappointing performance against Rotherham:
Played 9 Won 5 Drawn 3 Lost 1 For 24 Against 10 Points 18
Ronnie has correctly stated that his primary aim is not to win each game but to provide players who are ready for first team football. But you try telling me that he doesn't want to take three points from every remaining match this season! Carry on as he has done and the Championship will be ours.
As with the first team, the preferred formation is 4-4-2. Luigi Cennamo in goal has impressed as the season has developed. At first he caused more than a few heart-stopping moments with his choosing to punch everything that came near him, but he has since realised that catching the ball may be better if possible. He now dominates his area and his deafening shout of LUI!! leaves no one in doubt that he's going for the ball. He is an excellent shot-stopper and has made some superb saves. There are still moments when he entertainingly resorts to the unorthodox, but should Nico pick up an injury Lui would provide a more than useful replacement.
The defence has looked generally sound. Earl Davis and Mark McGregor (the only ever-present) have formed the backbone and have at times been outstanding. Their central defensive partnership in the second half at Barnsley when we were down to ten men following Arthur's sending off was exceptional. At 18, Manchester-born Earl is definitely one for the future and I would hope that he could get a chance in the first-team squad this season. John Williamson has recently put in some excellent games too at the centre, even scoring twice against Port Vale. He seems to have been around for ages, but we should not forget that his one first team appearance against Macclesfield in April 1999 was as a mere 17 year-old.
Mark McGregor could be counted as Burnley's unluckiest player. Brought in during the summer from Wrexham where he earned rave reviews, he can play either right back or in the centre of defence. Admittedly, in his brief appearances in the first team he has not done himself justice for he is clearly a very useful player. Only the outstanding form of Dean West has kept him out, and he provides us with yet another option should Arthur or Coxy get injured or suspended. His influence on the team has been rewarded with the captaincy of late in the absence of Lenny Johnrose.
When McGregor has taken a more central role, the right-back position has generally been filled by Andrew Leeson. This Newcastle-born 19 year-old is one of legendary scout Jack Hixon's recommendations. He's fast, tackles well, and likes to get forward and is another good prospect. Graham Branch and Gordon Armstrong have both had spells at left-back whilst on the way back from injury. Stretch is currently occupying the position and had an excellent game at Wolves last week. It speaks volumes for his professionalism (and that of Tony Ellis) that he was prepared to give his all in a somewhat less than grand setting in front of 159 people; contrast this with the poor attitude of some of the Wolves "stars", a fact that did not go unnoticed by the locals.
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The midfield has combined the experience of Johnrose and Maylett, with the youth of Mark Rasmussen, Andrew Waine and Joel Pilkington. Johnrose and Maylett are both first team squad players of course, and have both made the subs bench in recent games. Maylett is normally regarded as a right winger, but he is now being used mostly on the left. This seems to have put new life into his game and he seems to be much more effective in this position. He's joint top scorer and all five of his goals have come since his move to the left. However with both flanks well catered for in the first team there has been speculation as to whether Brad might benefit from a loan spell somewhere to gain more experience; after all, despite his many substitute appearances, he's only ever started two games.
Mark Rasmussen, another of Jack Hixon's lads, is an outstanding prospect. Only just turned 18 this Newcastle-born lad has impressed with some excellent performances mostly on the right flank. Although not the fastest in the team, he has good control, loads of confidence and likes to take defenders on.
But perhaps the most impressive aspect of the midfield is the emergence in the central positions of Joel Pilkington and Andrew Waine. Both get through a tremendous amount of work to good effect, and can score goals. Waine already has six for the youth team, and got his first reserve goal at Wolves; Pilkington (who, by the way, seems to be able to play in any position) has three for the youths. At 17 and 18 respectively they look like forming a more than useful partnership.
The most frequently used striking partnership has been Ellis and Papadopoulos, with Anthony Shandran also in contention. Shandran, like Maylett, is another who has been around for a while. He is strong, difficult to shake off the ball, and a natural goalscorer. With only one substitute appearance in the first team to his name, it's also hard not to think that he too could benefit from a loan period and regular league action.
Ellis we've already touched upon. Papa of course has become something of an enigma for many Clarets fans. His one first team start, against Rushden and Diamonds, was less than impressive and the £500,000 reported price tag started to raise quite a few eyebrows. However his frequent international disappearances, for which he has clocked up enough airmiles to buy a medium-sized Caribbean island, have clearly made it difficult for him to settle and adjust to the more physical side of the game in this country.
He has tended to go down at the slightest contact, which hasn't endeared him to referees and opposition players, most notably at Ewood against England U21. His international duties, with a couple of exceptions, are now over for the season, and according to last Saturday's programme he is now happily settled. His performance at Wolves would seem to back that up as he hit a superb hat-trick. But what was also impressive was his strong running with the ball through the Wolves defence. No more going down; instead a determination to get through and score. He has an excellent touch and tremendous speed, and his bullet-header of a goal showed that he's not bad in the air too. So be patient, this lad will go far and prove to be a bargain.
Although he's only made one start so far, Matthew O'Neill is a frequently used substitute. This 17 year-old Blackburn lad though has perhaps scored one of the goals of the season, a fantastic turn and shot from 20 yards in the 5-0 demolition of Oldham. He has great skill on the ball, a good shot and is a pretty mean cricketer too!
Watching the reserves this season has almost been as enjoyable as watching the first team. As Stan pointed out at the Club's AGM in November, for the first time in ages we have some extremely promising youngsters coming through. Of course there's still a long way to go before we can match many of the clubs with academies. But we are now almost on terms with clubs such as Preston and Tranmere who both have well-developed and successful youth programmes in operation. Clearly the development of Gawthorpe is crucial for further progress to take place but that seems to have become lost in a sea of red tape.
Interestingly, the next two fixtures are against Preston and Tranmere, both at home. Both are above us in the Avon Insurance League and the Alliance Youth League. The two games should provide excellent tests of how far we've come. A win against Preston and we definitely replace them in third position. It should be a cracker, so what better way could there be of spending this Wednesday evening but to.
ROLL UP FOR THE RESERVES!!
Appearances: (sub appearances in brackets)
McGregor 12, Cennamo 11, Maylett 11, Earl Davis 10, Pilkington 10, Johnrose 9, Ellis 8, Rasmussen 7 (2), Shandran 6 (4), Waine 5 (3), Williamson 5 (1), Papadopoulos 5, Mullin 5, Gnohere 4, Branch 4, Leeson 4, Scott 3, Armstrong 3, Thomas 2, O'Neill 1 (8), Eves 1 (2), Hindle 1 (1), Salisbury 1 (1), Cox 1, Payton 1, Alan Moore 1, Alexopoulos 1, Chaplow (1), Barrett (1).
Goals:
Maylett 5, Papadopoulos 5, Shandran 3, Johnrose 3, Williamson 3, Payton 2, Alan Moore 1, O'Neill 1, Earl Davis 1, Waine 1.
