Jennings Scores Twice as Reserves Hold Burnley

Two goals from Dale Jennings either side of a Jack Mackreth goal earn Tranmere’s reserve side a hard-fought point at Cammell Laird’s Kirklands Stadium on Wednesday night in an entertaining affair which saw the visitors reduced to ten men after just twenty minutes.....

Tranmere Res 3 – 3 Burnley Res

               Jennings 54 & 61

               Mackreth 55

Dale Jennings capped a brilliant week in his football career by following his Rovers first team debut on Saturday with a brace of goals in tonight’s 3-3 home draw against a ten-man Burnley reserve side at a damp Kirklands Stadium.

Jennings, who came on as a substitute and subsequently impressed in the 1-1 draw against Charlton Athletic at Prenton Park on Saturday, netted two second half goals in the space of seven minutes and in between there was even time for Jack Mackreth to get in on the goalscoring action.

Rovers, who were watched by Les Parry and managed by Shaun Garnett and David Lowe, lined up with a mix of youth team and professional players as follows....

Collister

Cathalina  Vaulks  Wood  Bakayogo

Mackreth  Benson  Power  Fraughan  Jennings

Connor

Subs: Coughlin, Kirby, Stockton, Appleby, Healing, Wainwright

The Rovers coaching staff were barely in their positions when the team fell behind after just 100 seconds as an attempted goal line clearance on the wet surface was missed leaving the Burnley player with an easy tap in to make it 1-0.

Going into the game, Burnley were the only unbeaten team in the totesport.com Reserve League, having played two games, won two, scored nine goals and conceded just one so going behind so early on was a seemingly ominous sign for Tranmere’s reserve side.

That feeling was felt further when the visitors took a 2-0 lead after just 11 minutes although the goal was all of Rovers own doing.  A poor pass by Wood to Fraughan left the midfielder under pressure and as Joe Collister claim to clear he totally miskicked straight to an unmarked Burnley player who made no mistake to double the lead.

As Rovers began to settle, they began to get a foothold in the game and just ten minutes after the visitors scored their second, came possibly the biggest turning point of the game as Burnley were reduced to ten men.

Some fantastic work from Bakayogo in the left back position saw him clear the ball from danger to Liam Benson who in turn found Dale Jennings.  When Jennings’s cutting ball sent Connor clear, he was tackled by the Burnley defender in the area and the referee gave the penalty and to the disgust of the Burnley bench, sent the defender off.

Connor picked himself up to take the penalty but his shot hit the crossbar and was cleared away so the score remained 2-0 and could have been 3-0 shortly after but Collister tipped a fine shot over the crossbar for a corner.

On 31 minutes, Jennings who was beginning to look lively cut inside but his shot was gathered by the keeper and just seconds later another similar attack from Jennings was tipped behind for a Rovers corner.

As an eventful half came to an end, Will Vaulks headed just over from a corner and the visitors held on to their 2-0 lead at the break.

Half-Time: Tranmere Reserves 0 – 2 Burnley Reserves

Ten-man Burnley made a change at half-time but Rovers remained the same and certainly started the half much brighter and just nine minutes into the second period, Dale Jennings was brought down inside  the Burnley penalty area and this time the striker took the penalty himself and scored to put his side back in the game.

Just a minute later and the home side were level when a superb cross from Ryan Fraughan, which initially looked long was turned in at a tight angle by Jack Mackreth at the far post to leave Burnley shell-shocked.

Worse was to follow after Ryan Fraughan shot over because immediately afterwards and just six minutes after drawing level, Rovers took the lead when more great work down the left by Ryan Fraughan who chased a seemingly lost cause saw him cross into the area where Dale Jennings finished to complete and amazing six minutes for the home side and put them 3-2 up.

Burnley responded by smashing a shot against the crossbar after a break which resulted initially from a poorly taken Rovers corner and shortly afterwards the Clarets had a low shot at goal which Joe Collister was equal to.

The visitors also had a penalty appeal turned down as they began to come back into the game as Rovers replaced Dale Jennings with Cole Stockton around the same time that Bakayogo had a blistering shot saved.

With just under 20 minutes remaining, Fraughan’s turn and shot went close at one end whilst at the other end, Burnley shot over the bar.  Steve Connor who had a much improved second half, was replaced by Ellis Appleton and after Jack Mackreth was fouled, Ryan Fraughan fired his free-kick over the crossbar.

Joe Collister was called into action again in the 72^nd minute to tip over a Burnley shot after Tim Cathalina was beaten perhaps a little too easily down the right and with ten minutes left a Max Power foul resulted in a free-kick for the visitors going just wide.

However Burnley were ultimately not to fall to their first defeat and a scrambled goal in the 81^st minute sealed a draw they probably deserved despite Rovers playing well particularly in the second half.

Rovers could have won it at the end when pressure on the goalkeeper from Cole Stockton forced a miskick but Max Power’s shot went wide and the entertaining game ended 3-3.

Full-Time: Tranmere Reserves 3 – 3 Burnley Reserves

Will Vaulks

On a night when Ryan Fraughan, Dale Jennings, Nick Wood and Zoumana Bakayogo deserve particular mention, the Man of the Match goes to Will Vaulks whose performance at centre-back despite the scoreline was fantastic!