Burnley Advances in Carabao Cup: Nicky Hayen's First Game Highlights

Nicky Hayen walked off the Turf Moor pitch on Saturday night with relief written all over him. Not because Burnley had dazzled. They hadn’t. But because his first competitive game in charge ended with progress, a shoot-out win, and the sound he wants to hear more than anything this season: a home crowd starting to believe again.

Burnley edged past Notts County on penalties, 4-3 after a 1-1 draw in the Carabao Cup, with Zian Flemming on the scoresheet and keeper Max Weiss the hero in the shoot-out. It was scrappy, uneven, at times nervy. It was also exactly the kind of result a new manager clings to in week one.

Building a bond at Turf Moor

Hayen has been clear from the outset: the atmosphere at Turf Moor matters. He wants noise, edge, connection. Wins help.

"It's good for the atmosphere," he told the club’s website, the dressing room still buzzing. Smiles, he knows, are currency. You earn them, then you spend them on momentum.

Next up is West Ham United in the Championship opener next Sunday, a game he calls “big” and expects to be played in front of a sold-out stadium. That matters to him as much as any tactical tweak. He talks about “a great atmosphere, a better connection between the players and the fans,” and the responsibility on his squad to spark it, not wait for it.

The demand is simple and non-negotiable: energy, for all 95 minutes. Roll up the sleeves, run, press, suffer. Leave the crowd walking out thinking: they gave everything.

"We have to bring that energy into the stadium by delivering performances," he said. The promise is clear enough. Burnley, under Hayen, will be judged not just on results but on effort, intensity, and how recognisable this team feels to its own support.

Returns that matter

The win wasn’t the only positive. Turf Moor also saw the returns of Connor Roberts, Aaron Ramsey and Zeki Amdouni to competitive action, a quietly significant boost.

Hayen noted how warmly the fans greeted them, a reminder of what they’ve done in a Burnley shirt and what they can still offer. They didn’t just make up the numbers; they got minutes, held up physically, and now form part of a gradual plan to build them back “day by day and game by game.”

For a squad trying to reset after a difficult period, those familiar faces back on the pitch give Hayen more options and the supporters more reasons to lean in.

Flashes of dominance, hints of arrogance

Strip away the emotion of a shoot-out and the manager’s verdict on the performance itself is blunt: “average.”

Burnley started sharply. For the first 20 minutes they dominated, pressed high, and recovered the ball in dangerous areas. It looked, briefly, like a routine cup outing for a side from a higher division.

Then the edge dulled.

Organisation slipped, the runs off the ball stopped, the tempo dropped. Hayen saw something he did not like at all: a touch of arrogance, the sense that because the game seemed under control, the hard work could ease off. Not on his watch.

"We're aware it wasn't the perfect performance," he admitted. Sloppy spells, slow passing, and a loss of focus opened the door. When Notts County scored, panic crept in. That, more than the goal itself, irritated him.

Half-time brought a reset. Hayen demanded a higher level, a return to the intensity of the opening spell. For the first 15 minutes of the second half Burnley responded, found a better rhythm, and grabbed the equaliser. They pushed for a winner but didn’t carve out enough clear chances or stretch the game with the depth he wanted.

It was enough to reach penalties. It was not enough to convince him.

A platform, not a finished product

Hayen’s message cuts through: the result counts, but the standard must rise. Burnley are through to the second round of the Carabao Cup, thanks to Weiss’s composure from the spot and Flemming’s contribution in normal time, yet no one inside the camp is pretending this was a complete performance.

That might be no bad thing a week before the league campaign begins.

The new manager has his first win, his first shoot-out success, his first taste of Turf Moor under pressure. He has key players back on the grass and a fanbase he’s determined to pull closer.

Now comes West Ham, a full house, and a bigger stage. If Hayen gets the performance to match the occasion, Turf Moor might just start to feel like itself again.