Burnley to play six games in a more conventional pre-season
Last season we were juggling pre-season with our Europa League commitments but this year it is definitely a more Burnley like set of pre-season games as we prepare for a fourth successive season in the Premier League.
The squad will travel to Portugal but won’t be playing any games there and it all starts on Saturday 20th July when it will be time for us to plan our first away trip but once again we’ll be splitting the squad for two simultaneous games. Some of the squad will be playing in one game at Crewe and the rest at Port Vale, two games just a dozen or so miles apart. It’s another make your choice afternoon as to which game you go to.
Back in 2016 we came up against former Claret Joey Barton in a friendly at Ibrox against Rangers. This time the aforementioned ex Burnley player will be in the opposite dug out to Sean Dyche when we travel to Fleetwood’s Highbury Stadium (pictured above) on Tuesday 23rd July.
It’s another short distance to travel on the following Saturday, 27th July, and another former Claret in the dug out, and another Scouser at that. This time it is Paul Cook and Wigan.
Looking at those four clubs, it’s some time since we last played at Crewe. It was the opening day of the 2005/06 season when Gifton Noel-Williams scored a debut goal in a 2-1 defeat. We played at Port Vale much more recently, an awful 1-0 defeat in the League Cup in August 2015 and that was soon after we’d played a friendly at Fleetwood, our only ever first team visit to Highbury. We won that one 2-0 with goals from Stephen Ward and Marvin Sordell, his from the penalty spot. We’ll then be travelling to Wigan for the first time since the 0-0 draw which brought 2013 to an end as we were setting up for promotion.
Those are the away games; they are followed by two at home against European opposition but the club are not, as yet, in a position to confirm the opponents. The games will be played on Tuesday 30th July and Saturday 3rd August.
The Pre-Season
20th July – Crewe (a)
20th July – Port Vale (a)
23rd July – Fleetwood (a)
27th July – Wigan (a)
30th July – home friendly
3rd August – home friendly
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