Burnley
One winner and one loser at Burnley following last night’s 1-0 win over Huddersfield Town
Burnley enjoyed a perfect start to the new Championship season on Friday night, with a 1-0 win over Huddersfield Town at The John Smith’s Stadium.
On loan Chelsea left-back Ian Maatsen’s 18th strike from Ashely Barnes’ set-up would put Burnley ahead, with the Clarets dominating large portions of the match.
That was enough to give Vincent Kompany victory in his first game in charge as Burnley boss, and put his side top of the very early league standings.
But just who benefitted from that game among the Burnley from last night’s game, and who didn’t?
To find out, we’ve taken a look at one winner and one loser at Burnley from that victory over Huddersfield, right here.
Can you get 28/28 on this Burnley quiz?
Winner: Josh Cullen
Having been brought in from Anderlecht this summer after previously playing there under Kompany, Cullen enjoyed the perfect start to life in a Burnley shirt.
The midfielder produced an excellent performance in the centre of the park for the Clarets, influencing proceedings considerably with his input both on and off the ball, something that saw him win plenty of praise for his efforts.
That will be just the sort of confidence boost that the 26-year-old would have wanted when taking that first step with his new side, and the belief should now already be there, that he can have a big part to play at Turf Moor in the season ahead.
Loser: Luke McNally
With the aforementioned Maatsen taking up his natural position on the left-hand side of Burnley’s defence, that saw another left-back, Charlie Taylor, moved into a central defensive role on Friday.
That was despite the presence of McNally, a natural centre back, in the matchday squad following his summer transfer move from Oxford United.
However, McNally was unable to get off the bench for his debut in Yorkshire, and with Taylor impressing in his new role for Burnley, even winning praise from Kompany for his performance, it could be difficult to justify making a change in that position immediately, meaning the 22-year-old may have to wait for his chance at Turf Moor.
