Burnley U21s 1-1 Bristol Rovers
Pre-season, St Andrews Elite Performance Facility, Friday 31 July 2026, 1pm KO
Bristol Rovers drew 1-1 with Burnley U21s in their final pre-season fixture ahead of the 2026/27 season.
The Pirates dominated the first half and had plenty of chances to score, with Bobby Kamwa whipping a right-footed effort from outside the box on target, Ryan de Havilland crashing the post and Mees Rijks seeing two attempts saved.
In the second half, Kamwa got on the end of Macauley Southam-Hales' cross and directed his shot wide before the Young Clarets punished their missed chances with a goal, their No.9 getting behind Rovers' defence and finishing clinically.
Burnley then missed a penalty, with the Pirates levelling moments later to end pre-season with a draw. Kofi Balmer, brought on as a substitute, launched a long throw-in into the box, and Riley Harbottle reacted fastest to a loose ball to score.
The two teams were looking to work each other out in the early exchanges, with the Gas having to wait until the tenth minute for their first opportunity.
Macauley Southam-Hales raced down the right brilliantly, getting to the byline before his cross was turned away from Fabrizio Cavegn's path. However, the Young Clarets could not clear their lines. Southam-Hales won it back, with the Pirates then working it out to Bobby Kamwa on the left, with the former Newport County man cutting onto his right foot before curling a shot at the goalkeeper from the edge of the box.
Steve Evans' men caused Burnley problems every time they got the ball into the box. Riley Harbottle's long throw-in was headed out to Ryan de Havilland, whose thumping effort flicked off the outside of the right post.
Still, the chances were few and far between. Just past the half-hour mark, Jack Sparkes worked the ball out of his feet near the left corner flag and whipped a cross towards Mees Rijks, who got in front of his marker before flicking a header wide of the right post.
The Pirates were getting joy down the left, with Sparkes and Kamwa getting forward at every opportunity. Kamwa used his quick feet to beat a defender before driving the ball across to a trailist, but he directed his attempt wide. On the other side, Southam-Hales chipped the ball past his marker before finding Rijks, with the striker knocking his attempt into the goalkeeper's gloves.
In the second half, Southam-Hales twisted with the ball to beat a defender and sent an inviting cross into the box. The ball went past Cavegn but through to Kamwa, who poked wide.
The Young Clarets then scored against the run of play. A long ball from the right went over the Pirates' defence and to their No.9, who slotted his strike past Luke Southwood.
Burnley then had a chance to double their lead from the penalty spot, but No.2 blasted his spot-kick well over the bar. Rovers made the most of it, scoring moments later. Balmer's long throw was knocked down to Harbottle, who latched onto the loose ball to score from close range to level.
Bristol Rovers: Southwood, Sparkes (Smallwood 76), Kilgour (Kelly 66), Kamwa (Quigley 67), Rijks (James 70), Southam-Hales, Harbottle, Trialist, De Havilland, Cavegn, Trialist (Balmer 76)
Rovers were coming off the back of a brilliant 3-0 win over Dundee and were looking to end the pre-season schedule strongly against Burnley. However, despite dominating the chances, the Pirates had to work hard to earn a draw after falling behind in the second half.
Nevertheless, Rovers’ character was on display once again, with Harbottle getting his second goal in as many games to equalise against the Young Clarets. Reflecting on the performance, Steve was pleased with the workout and his players' mentality.
“It was a really good workout for us. I think the performance resembled, in parts, a little bit like we did on Wednesday, where we didn’t start the game in a proper fashion, and we conceded a lot of the ball and territory without either side making a chance.
“Then, I think for 40 minutes, maybe the last part of the first half and early part of the second half, we took over and were in command of the game. There were some substitutions, and the game went a bit scrappy. Then, we conceded a sloppy goal. There were three or four errors when we conceded the goal.
“To be fair, Richie Smallwood said it in a team meeting this morning: there is a determination in the squad not to lose. If you’re in a losing position, not to lose and if you’re drawing, to win it. We go up the other end, and there’s no surprise that when you bring Balmer onto the pitch, it’s a long throw-in from Kofi, a great flick on from big Joe and then Riley has a simple finish.”
