Ne-Jai Tucker Scores Twice In Burnley U23 Win
Bermuda’s Ne-Jai Tucker scored twice for the Burnley Football Club U23 team as they played to a 6-2 victory over Blackburn Rovers.
The club’s match report said, “Goals from captain Rob Harker, Michael Mellon, Ne-Jai Tucker [2], Dara Costelloe and Sam Unwin secured a win for the Clarets in their penultimate pre-season friendly.
“Having dominated the opening 25 minutes at Barnfield Training Centre, skipper Harker opened the scoring, tapping into an empty net once Costelloe had broken through and squared the ball across the box for him to do so.
“Acting boss Michael Jackson made five changes at the break, with 17-year-old Michael Mellon entering the action.
“And Mellon couldn’t have got off to a better start, scoring with his first touch of the game from just outside the box following a mix-up in the Blackburn defence.
“Skipper Harker then fired a shot off the post looking for his second of the game, before the ball broke to Tucker in the box, and he curled a shot into the back of the net to make it 3-0 with the help a deflection to wrongfoot the Rovers’ goalkeeper.
“Burnley rattled the woodwork again not long after, smashing the ball against the crossbar from close range following a well-worked set piece routine.
“But Jackson’s side weren’t done with the scoring yet, and Harker repaid the first half favour to Costelloe to make it to extend the Clarets’ advantage. In a reverse of the opening goal, Harker was played through into space and squared to Costelloe to tap home.
“Less than a minute later, it was five as Tucker grabbed his second of the afternoon. Again with the ball in the area, he looked for the far corner and without the need for a deflection this time around, the ball sailed exactly where he had aimed it.
“Rovers did pull a goal back on the rebound when the ball fell to an attacker in space after Burnley ‘keeper Sam Waller had made a good save down low to his right to deny a first attempt.
“But the Clarets had one more goal left in them and got it through Unwin – on as a second half substitute. Having built some pressure on the Blackburn box, the ball fell kindly to Mellon, and he obliged in setting up Unwin in space to fire into the back of the net.
“A further goal was pulled back by Rovers close to the end, the attacker finding space in the box and curling an effort around the onrushing Waller, but a comfortable victory for Burnley come the full-time whistle.”
