BURNLEY'S youth team crashed out of the Football League Alliance Cup with a 4-2 home defeat by Preston North End at the weekend.

And, like Clarets boss Stan Ternent, youth manager Terry Pashley was left to rue the fact that his side had failed to hold on to a lead.

"We were good in the first half and leading 2-1 at the break but we were disappointing in the second," he complained.

"Preston got a lot more physical and direct after the interval and I was disappointed that when they started to play that way we could not cope with them.

"We needed to have more players ready to stand up and be counted. When you have got a lead you need to protect it at all costs. We let it go too easily."

Mark Rasmussen gave the Clarets the lead in a match they knew they had to win if they were to reach the next round, converting from the spot after Damien Hindle had been fouled.

It was Hindle himself who restored the lead after Preston had levelled when he capitalised on a mix-up by the visiting keeper and one of his defenders.

But it was after half-time that the struggles began and after 20 minutes of pressure the game was turned on its head by two goals in the space of a minute.

Firstly, a rash challenge by Sean Blakey saw them given a penalty, and then 60 seconds later a deficit had become a lead.

"We then defended a long throw poorly and that was the fourth goal," said Pashley.

He was not helped by the absence of influential midfielder Joel Pilkington, who pulled up with a groin strain last week.

Paul Scott was injured, Adam Jones felt a reaction to a recent injury, Gary Carter suffered a slight calf strain against North End and Ryan Townsend has had problems with his shin splints after playing on the hard ground.

With no reserve game in midweek, the youngsters are back in action on Saturday with a home game against Oldham.