Two clinical second-half strikes saw Watford Under-17s beat Burnley 2-0 at London Colney this afternoon to reach the final of the Premier League Under-17 Professional Development League Cup.

The young Hornets, managed by Tom Cleverley, will now play the winners of the other semi-final between Crewe and Fleetwood which takes place tomorrow (Wednesday).

The final will not be played at a neutral venue, instead the team drawn out first will have home advantage.

Watford qualified second in their group, and then beat Millwall 3-0 in the quarter-finals, while Burnley topped their group and saw off Bournemouth 5-3 in the last eight.

It was a sterling performance from Watford, who were physically smaller than Burnley but matched them all the way for grit and determination.

Cleverley was without three defenders: both Joel Sala and Tom Georgiou are injured, while Raul Vancea is away representing England Under-16s.

However, it was the defence which provided the platform for the victory by keeping a clean sheet and giving away very few chances in the face of some spells of heavy pressure from the visitors.

The two central defenders, Jonny Scriven and Charlie Bolding, were outstanding throughout against a Burnley forward line that was big and pacy.

Scriven, in particular, had an exceptional afternoon – his reading of the game gave him half a yard, he was assured under pressure and marshalled the back line in a manner that belied his age.

Behind them, keeper Sam Morris was a strong, calm figure, whose handling of crosses and set pieces was exemplary.

The first half was very cagey and saw few openings at either end.

Watford’s best moment came in the 16th minute Amin Nabizada sent over a free-kick from the right which Burnley only half-cleared – Hayden Barrett hammered the loose ball goalwards and it was deflected wide by a defender.

From the corner Nabizada shaped to cross but then played the ball back to Tyler Notley who hit a deep first-time centre. A crowd of players challenged and Scriven got highest but headed down and wide.

The Hornets were so disciplined in their shape and depending from front to back that Burnley were restricted to just one decent chance, on the half-hour mark, when Benji Wetshi got on the end of a flick into the box but sent his shot wide of the back post.

The opening quarter of an hour of the second half was when Burnley posed most threat.

Logan Carlin sent a 20-yard effort wide and then Olly Amlott centred for Zach Johnson to shoot on the turn, his effort being deflected to safety.

Watford rode out the period of sustained pressure and then went ahead after an hour.

Zavier Massiah-Edwards, who showed the benefit of his experience in the Under-21s, saw more of the ball as the game wore on and when he attacked the box and then shifted the ball left, big striker Kash Odiase did well to stretch at the by-line and get it into the six-yard box.

Kristian Shevchenko reacted quickest – hallmarks of his Dad, Andrij – and got ahead of his man to turn the ball in at the near post with the aid of a deflection.

The goal opened the game up, and Nabizada was able to enjoy a lot more space in the centre of the park. The 16-year-old was on the bench for the first team in the FA Cup replay at Southampton, and he showed why he was given the chance with some surging runs and neat footwork.

However, Burnley still threatened and it needed a vital clearance from Notley inside the six-yard box when an 82nd-minute cross led to a scramble.

Three minutes later Burnley came as close as they had all game when Callum West’s corner was headed over at the near post by Lucas Wane.

Then, in the 88th minute, Watford made sure of their place in the final.

Keeper Morris could claim an unlikely and probably unintentional assist. With the ball in his hands he went to kick long but instead hammered it at just over head-height, like an arrow, straight down the centre.

That caught out everyone except substitute Max Smith, and he nipped in behind the Burnley defence to run onto the ball and then plant a confident shot beyond keeper Felix Chester – a finish that another famous father, Tommy, would have been proud of as he watched from the sidelines.

It was a hard-fought but ultimately deserved victory for the Hornets who stood firm in the face of a physical test and were lethal when they had the chance.

Watford: Morris; Stephenson, Notley, Barrett (Hunt 27), Scriven, Bolding, Shevchenko (Bowling 79), Sanghrajka (Smith 75), Odiase (Riza 61), Nabizada, Massiah-Edwards. Sub not used: Thrussell