Ne-Jai Tucker was out due to injury as his Burnley Under 23 teammates fell to a 1-0 defeat against Crystal Palace, after matching the hosts for the majority of the game, an 86th-minute strike David Omilabu secured all three points for Shaun Derry's side at Selhurst Park.
Burnley started on the front foot and was enjoying plenty of the ball on a sunny afternoon in South London.
But it was the hosts who had the first real opportunity of the game, as Harlem Hale broke forward and unleashed an effort at goal, which Marc Richter pushed wide for a corner.
However, not long after, Burnley came close to opening the scoring, as Richard Nartey met Ben Woods’ hanging corner at the back-post, with a looping header, which crashed onto the crossbar and out.
On the half-hour mark, winger Danny Imray picked up the ball inside the area and forced Richter into action again, denying the wide man with his feet.
Just before the break, Stone’s side again with a set-piece looked a threat, as Nartey latched onto Woods’ free-kick, this time his header fell to Owen Dodgson, whose effort towards goal was blocked by Hale.
With the two sides level at the break, it was the visitors who came out on the front foot in the second half, with Palace struggling to get a hold of the ball.
As Lewis Richardson had his first real opportunity of the game, the striker picked up the ball just inside the area, before turning and firing at Wales international Wayne Hennesey in the Palace goal.
But as the game began to draw to a close, Omilabu latched onto a long ball through the Burnley defense and rounded Richter to slot home with four minutes to go.
|
