TERRY Pashley claimed his young Clarets were ring-rusty after falling to a 3-1 defeat at Oldham.

Rhys Carpenter's penalty was not enough to earn Burnley any reward in their first game for almost a month.

And youth team coach Pashley admitted: "It was one of those days when too many of our players had an off day.

"We hadn't played since mid-December and I would like to think that was the main reason we just did not perform."

Carpenter, who scored a hat-trick the last time the two sides met in December, further enhanced his goalscoring reputation with an equaliser from the spot midway through the first half after Alex Taylor had been upended.

But the Latics, beaten 6-0 by Burnley in the reverse clash last month, came back with two second half goals to claim a comfortable victory.

Burnley's Youth Team now have just two games to play before February's new format kicks in.

The Clarets travel to Blackpool's Squires Gate training ground for this Saturday's clash with the Seasiders (11am KO).

That is followed by Preston's visit to Gawthorpe a week later in the final Youth Alliance Fixture.

OLDHAM YOUTH 3

BURNLEY YOUTH 1