Nottingham Forest U21 took all three points against Burnley U21 with a 1:0 victory in Premier League 2, Division 1 on Monday evening. The result moves the hosts up to 11th place on six points, while Burnley remain rooted to 27th with none from three outings. And here's the thing — the decisive moment came in stoppage time of the first half, not before or after.
Eric Broomes netted in the 46th minute, right after the interval break when both sides made changes. K. Clarke and J. Powell were among those brought on at the whistle, and Broomes made his mark almost immediately. Burnley had already shown vulnerability away from home, losing their previous two fixtures before that solitary win against Fleetwood Town U21.
The match itself was anything but open. By then, yellow cards had already started accumulating, with E. Clark receiving one in the 39th minute. J. Newton joined him in the book four minutes after the goal, and Broomes himself found himself cautioned in the 59th. To be fair, the game never really opened up for either side.
Forest made their substitutions methodically. M. Stanley and Lucas came on together in the 63rd minute, followed by C. Nwosu two minutes later. Burnley responded with a triple change in the 73rd, bringing on B. Pouani, C. Scott, and T. Savage, but could not find a way through. The hosts had been solid enough in their previous home win against Luton Town U21 before that loss to Sunderland U21.
More cards followed as the game wore on. C. Scott and B. Sanneh went into the book in the 72nd minute alongside A. Bradshaw's introduction. G. McDonnell, S. Samuels, and L. Castell each picked up yellow stops in the closing stages. By then, the result was never really in doubt, and Burnley's barren run continued.