Just a few days after ending a 10-game winless run Watford Under-21s were handed a 4-1 beating at Burnley this afternoon.
The Clarets are second in the Premier League Development League North, and top scorers across both that and the Southern division.
It took them just two minutes to get ahead at Turf Moor when 16-year-old Kian McMahon-Brown lobbed Watford keeper Sam Morris.
Tom Tweedy nearly doubled the hosts’ advantage shortly after but his shot was blocked.
However, they only needed until the 14th minute to make it 2-0 as Troy Savage marked his first start for the Under-21s by finding space in the box before firing a shot beyond Morris.
Burnley skipper Joe Bauress then sent a shot just wide, before almost supplying a third goal when his cross was headed just wide by Joe Ashton.
There was no let up after the half-time break as Tweedy’s cross was very nearly poked home by Oliver Pimlott.
It was 3-0 in the 52nd minute though as a Pimlott cross was converted by Tommy McDermott.
Just before the hour mark Burnley looked nailed on to add a fourth having been awarded a penalty but Morris – fresh from his heroics for the Under-18s in the FA Youth Cup semi-final – saved the spot kick.
Six minutes later Watford were awarded a penalty of their which Nickson Okosun tucked away to make it 3-1.
Joao Mendes hit the post for the home side and two minutes from the end Adam McCoy ran onto a Bauress pass but couldn’t convert.
Then four minutes into stoppage-time McMahon-Brown scored his second of the game to complete the 4-1 victory.
Watford stay ninth in the Southern Division table, and host Cardiff City on Friday (April 25) at Vicarage Road, kick-off 2pm.
Watford: Morris; Mullins, Eames (Watkiss 62), Sikiru (Lawson ht), Kamga, Georgiou, Gould (Garcia-Romero 34), Trialist (Vancea ht), Adeyemo (Okosun 62), Fraser-Grante, Keyes.
