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Burnley’s splendid under 18 team added the scalp of Sheffield United to those of Yorkshire Amateurs, Manchester City and Manchester United with a highly satisfying win at Bramall Lane on Saturday and they will now face either Everton or Sunderland (the holders) in the semi final of the Football Association of the Youth Cup competition. The young Clarets, whose enthusiasm and teamwork is always a joy to watch, had some luck in the first half hour when Sheffield were undisputedly on top. They did not play as well as they can or as forcefully as they did against Manchester United in the previous round. But they had a very definite edge in stamina as well as skill and it was a good enough show considering the absence of leading scorer Willie Brown and the fact that skipper Mick Docherty and that remarkable winger Steve Kindon were not 100% fit due to a stomach upset and a toe injury respectively. Bramall Lane has long been a graveyard for Burnley hopes, second only to Villa Park. But this quarter-final victory at the first attempt could lead to a place in the final of a national competition and it may be an omen that when the Clarets reached Wembley in 1962 they also won a quarter final at Sheffield United.
There follows a detailed report on the match. For the record, the match was won by two goals to nil, with Burnley scoring in each half. The scorers were Peter Jones and a Harmston own goal following a drive by Steve Kindon. Burnley would go on to beat Everton in the semi-final and Coventry in the final to lift the Youth Cup for the first time in the history of the club.