U18 Premier League North
Burnley U18 7 (Taylor 8’, 22’, 35’; Lewis 44’, Stanley 59’, Okonkwo 63’, Savage 74’)
Leeds United U18 4 (Bennett 19’, 87’; Stockton 47’, 79’)
Burnley: Feeney (GK), Blackie (Da Costa 66’), Wilcock (Fong 77’), Stanley, King, Savage (C), Scanlon, Morison, Taylor (Masara 77’), Okonkwo, Lewis (Borgesson 66’). Sub not used: Grimshaw (GK).
Leeds: Woolfrey (GK), Lane (C) (Philpott 46’), Balmer (Bridge 80’), Whitehead, Trialist, Simo, Bennett, Stockton, Ibrovic-Fletcher (Heywood 80’), Ramsey (Hamilton 90’), White (Trialist 45’).
Referee: Ryan Aldred
Venue: Barnfield Training Centre
A heavily rotated and youthful Leeds United Under-18s fell to defeat against Burnley Under-18s on what was a frenetic final day of the 2025/26 campaign.
The scoring was opened by the hosts early on with Warren Taylor getting the first of the eleven goals scored in the match when his shot from just outside the box found the bottom left corner of the goal.
Leeds did not take long to level the scoring though, as a cross in the 19th minute was whipped in to the six-yard box and found Oliver Bennett who made no mistake from close range to bring the match level.
Parity lasted merely minutes, though, as Taylor got his second and restored the lead for the Clarets. Burnley won possession back and James Lewis played the ball to the forward whose first time shot flew into the bottom right corner.
It was then another opportunity for Leeds to level in this back-and-forth first half an hour of play as Logan White won a penalty after he was brought down in the opposition box. Edward Ibrovic-Fletcher struck the spot-kick well but it was matched by Callum Feeney in the Burnley goal who got down quickly to his right to make the save and keep the home side in the lead.
Burnley then added their third and fourth goals before the break. The third was also Taylor’s third, wrapping up an impressive 35-minute hattrick. This goal was the most fortunate of the lot, however, with the ball falling to the forward on the Leeds goalline after an impressive last-ditch block just moments earlier. All Taylor had to do was prod it into the roof of the net, putting the hosts 3-1 up.
The fourth then came a minute before half-time when Luca Scanlon got himself into space on the right wing, played the ball to Taylor who found James Lewis whilst being brought to ground. The advantage was given and Lewis placed the ball into the bottom left corner.
HALF TIME: Burnley U18 4-1 Leeds United U18
The second half did not see play slow down at all, with the Young Whites pulling a goal back with the first attack after the restart!
In the 47th minute, Thomas Stockton was played in behind the Burnley defence on the left wing. He drove into the box and despite under pressure from a recovering Burnley defender, managed to fire his shot past the ‘keeper into the goal at the near post.
Leeds just could not stop the goals going in at the other end, though, as Michael Stanley made it 5-2 by heading in from close range following four successive corners.
The sixth came just four minutes later, as in the 63rd minute Destiny Okonkwo curled a shot into the bottom left corner from the edge of the area.
Troy Savage then got in on the action when his shot from the edge of the box following a corner was deflected and looped in off the crossbar.
Leeds to their credit never gave up, getting a third goal of their own in the 79th minute when Ibrovic-Fletcher received the ball on the inside right of the penalty area. He played a crisp low pass across to Stockton who fired a first time shot off the post and into the bottom left corner of the goal, doubling his personal tally for the day.
Bennett then got a brace of his own in the closing stages. The chaos continued, including a late red card, before referee Ryan Aldred’s full-time whistle brought Leeds United U18s’ 2025/26 Premier League North campaign to a close.
FULL TIME: Burnley U18 7-4 Leeds United U18
