Youth Team involved in high scoring draw
Shrewsbury: Gregory; Kerins, Hughes, Bonner, Roberts; Gilpin (Jones 56), Rammell (Hassell 56), Gallagher, Barnet; McAtee, Ofori (Higgs 72)Unused Subs: Esien, Atkinson
Burnley: King; Grogan, Wilson, Clarke, Mpofu; Bayode, Shrimpton, Kershaw, Jumeau (Koike 77); Pingling, Wood
Unused Subs: Wusiwicz, Sanms, Egan, Thompson-Edwards
Shrewsbury Town U18’s came away with a hard fought 3-3 draw against Burnley U18’s on a wet day at the Gawthorpe Hall training complex.
Raining from start to finish, it was Town who took the lead through a great strike by John McAtee against his old club, rifling in a low shot into the bottom left hand corner from 20 yards in the 4th minute of the game.
Burnley struggled to get a foothold in the game in the early stages, with their only chance early on being an opening for Shrimpton on the edge of the box in the 8th minute, who could only fire high and wide.
Shrewsbury controlled possession but Burnley looked dangerous on the break, and punished Town in the 15th minute as a Bayode shot on the edge of the box deflected kindly into the path of Pingling to coolly slot home with his left foot.
The impressive McAtee restored Shrewsbury’s lead soon after in the 21st minute with his and his team’s second, surging down the inside right channel whilst holding off a defender to fire past the goal keeper low at his near post.
Continuing to pile on the pressure, the visitors were nearly gifted a third in the 32nd minute as a defensive mix up saw Clarke head against his own bar and out for a corner. From the resulting corner there was another chance for Shrewsbury, as a whipped ball in evaded an onrushing attacker at the far post.
Goalkeeper Gregory was forced into action in the 34th minute, tipping a rasping 25 yard shot from Kershaw around the post.
Another break for Burnley saw Pingling round the goalkeeper with an open net gaping, but a last ditch goal saving tackle from Bonner meant that Shrewsbury entered half time ahead 2-1.
Burnley were a lot more fired up for the second half and their attacking intent paid off, equalising in the 50th minute. After some good work down the left hand side, the ball was flashed across the face of goal and tapped in easily by Jumeau.
Burnley continued to press and looked the more likely to score next, with a ball down the right hand side causing a collision between Gregory, Roberts and Wood, with the keeper coming away with a knock.
Shrewsbury made their first changes of the match in the 56th minute, with Gilpin and Ramell coming off to be replaced by Jones and Hassell.
As Town grew back into the game, McAtee nearly sealed his hattrick with a back post header, but couldn’t quite get the right contact as it looped over the bar.
The game became a lot more open as both teams searched for the next goal, and a surge down the right hand side by McAtee led to a ball being fizzed down across the box, but unfortunately for Shrewsbury there was nobody gambling on the end of it.
In the 72nd minute Higgs replaced Ofori.
In the 75th minute Higgs raced onto a ball through the centre of the Burnley defence and despite appearing to have his shirt tugged, managed to get a shot away that forced a good stop from the goalkeeper.
The breakthrough would come in the next minute however, as a miscued clearance from a Burnley defender fell kindly into the path of Hassell, who made no mistake from 12 yards out to put Shrewsbury ahead 3-2.
The lead would only last five minutes however, as strong play from Wood saw him turn his man and bury a low shot in off the post in the far left corner with his left foot from around 18 yards out to equalise for Burnley.
In the 89th minute the referee produced his first card of the game to Barnet, for a cynical pull back that halted a dangerous looking Burnley breakaway.
Shrewsbury had a golden chance to win the match in the 4th minute of added time, as the ball was rolled across the box to Higgs who only had the keeper to beat, but looked to stumble as he shot and the keeper saved, with the final result ending 3-3.