Barnsley (U21s) 2-0 Burnley (U21s)

Barnsley (U21s) 2-0 Burnley (U21s)

Professional Development League

Tuesday 14th May 2024

It’s been a decent season for Barnsley at Under 21s level.

The Reds have already achieved their highest ever position in the Professional Development League North (4th) and in this final game of the season they emerged as comfortable 2-0 winners over Burnley thanks to goals by Fabio Jalo and Theo Chapman.

On a South Yorkshire afternoon which saw rain in the first half (cue everyone scampering back to the wooden seats in the West Stand) followed by sunshine in the second half, there were lots of positives about Barnsley’s performance.

It wasn’t all entirely straightforward or rosey and perfect (football never is) because initially in the first 10-15 minutes, Burnley looked comfortably the better team and had the better chances. One early shot was flashed just an inch wide of the post, Kieran Flavell in his bright pink boots was forced into bits and pieces of work, and with Barnsley struggling to ‘get out’ and finding themselves penned in, pushed back and too deep, Charlie Hickingbottom also had to be ruthless by throwing himself infront of a shot - something which is a blueprint of what he’s all about as a player.

After the slow start and as the heavens opened, Barnsley then got a foothold and before half-time they established a 1-0 lead when Fabio Jalo curled in a free-kick from the edge of the box, via the post.

It could have been 2-0 before the break as Jalo had the ball in the net again after some good work by Aaron Atkinson who unselfishly got free down the right and laid it to him on a plate inside the six-yard box, but the Portuguese talisman was judged to have strayed offside.

Nevertheless, only 15 seconds into the second half, Jalo was at his predatory best as he played a crucial part in helping Barnsley get a second goal.

Straight from Burnley’s own kick-off, the ball was played back to a defender and having dispossessed him and broken away, he was purposely pulled down inside the box. A definite penalty yet surprisingly no card despite the impulsive shirt-pulling to deny a clear goalscoring opportunity - and just like he did against Hull City a little over a week ago, Theo Chapman then stepped up to convert by sending the ‘keeper the wrong way to make it 2-0.

For a spell thereafter, and as substitutes began to enter the pitch at different intervals, it seemed like Barnsley might bag a third as they had more possession, looked in their element, and were on top.

But in the end, Burnley finished the stronger and got their act together by the latter stages with Kieran Flavell forced into action twice - each time showing every inch of his 6ft7 frame to pull off two quality reflex saves, whilst Charlie Hickingbottom also made another good block in the final few minutes.

The work-rate and application was all there and the clean-sheet which Barnsley ultimately kept (Kieran Flavell’s fourth in five games) was richly deserved and it was a good reward for the lads’ collective effort in the game. Plus, it was a good way to end what has been a very positive season with the club’s highest-ever position secured in the PDL North already assured before this game anyway.

The two stand-out performers were Kieran Flavell and Charlie Hickingbottom.

Kieran wasn’t just good with his saves (three top ones) but he was also good with his feet, kicked cleanly throughout and didn’t shank anything. He commanded his box well and offered an ‘assuredness’ and sense of reliability to the defence infront of him. At 6ft7 his presence between the post is, quite literally, massive and he never once looked phased under pressure either - even in the 2-3 instances where he was being closed down by Burnley’s attackers. All the elements of his individual game were good so it’s worthy recognition he’s earned and another clean-sheet will only increase his confidence. His left-foot is unique for a keeper too (certainly not many of them about) albeit the pink boots need to be hidden in an attic never to be seen again (definitely not for me mate).

Charlie Hickingbottom was just solid and again showed an old-school willingness to just be a leader and throw himself infront of things defensively which is one of the reasons why I rate him highly anyway because you don’t see those qualities often enough in U21s football. What is his best position? I’m not certain. But with the ability to be versatile and do a solid job either in a CDM spot or at CB (where he featured today), then I’ve got no doubts - and never will have - that he will be a success once he goes out into the world of mens football. He’s got the ability to match the willingness to want to battle, plus the leadership element, and they’re all good traits.

Elsewhere, Aaron Atkinson did alright - would have got an assist had it not been for the offside, made two good defensive interceptions in the early stages (clearing a corner and dropping back deep to do that work - good traits) and also showed a decent first touch to bring the ball down infront of the West Stand early into the second half which drew applause. And as I said on this blog very early on in the season, he’s added something to this team this season and that’s been backed up by his goals/assists tally, plus the improvement on the team’s overall league position.

Harrison Nejman was cool and composed on the ball in that late period where Burnley were applying pressure. Nathan James had a steady game - some good bits of aggression, and I don’t think I’ve seen him have a poor game yet in the 10+ times that I’ve watched him. 

Hayden Pickard also deserves a mention because although he was substituted not long after being tackled on the far side (hopefully just a knock and nothing more serious), he’s consistently got better as time has gone on and looks established in this team nowadays. No massive contributions in this game but the tackle against Hull the other week raises a smile - and highlights his qualities defensively. He’s been playing U21s football since he was a first-year scholar at 16, it shows, and good luck to him over the next year because he’s really consolidated that spot and is doing well.

And when Josh McKay came on, he did very well in one instance in the latter stages - turning inside when being pressed after showing his marker the outside. Good stuff and in his 20 minutes or so after replacing the trialist right-back (who was steady), Josh gave a decent account of himself.

For plenty of the lads who played in this game - plus others at the club but not involved today, it’s now that uncertain time of the season where people will soon learn if they’re being released or if they’re being offered new contracts ahead of the retained list being published.

Whatever the case may be, good luck to all the lads - it’s been a pleasure watching your games at different points this season, learning different things about what you all offer as players, and I’m sure you’ll all have different memories to look back upon or stories to smile about whether you’re plodding out to represent Barnsley or someone else next season.

And well done on getting another win to end this season on a positive note!