BURNLEY maintained their perfect pre-season record with a victory over Preston North End at Deepdale.

Although the Clarets were stepping up several levels in terms of opposition they showed their Premier League class against Championship North End.

It was a game Sean Dyche’s side controlled for most of the 90 minutes and they could have run out more comfortable winners in the end.

Jon Walters set them on their way with a second goal of pre-season before Kevin Long, with Sam Vokes seemingly getting a touch near the line, added a second after the break.

It looked like being a comfortable evening for the Clarets, but Sean Maguire capitalised on a loose of possession in midfield to halve the deficit.

But there were plenty of positives for Dyche, with Burnley looking particularly dangerous from set-pieces, while all of his starters came through at least an hour of action.

It was the hosts who started brightly at Deepdale, with Eoin Doyle and Tommy Spurr seeing efforts deflected wide in the same passage of play before a corner fell to Daniel Johnson’s feet inside the area, and although his effort was tame, Josh Harrop flicked it goalwards but without much power and Tom Heaton pounced on the loose ball.

It took Burnley around 15 minutes to get going but they soon had control of the game.

A perfectly weighted through ball from Robbie Brady almost released Johann Berg Gudmundsson, whose first touch was excellent but left-back Josh Earl produced a last-ditch tackle just as the Iceland winger was about to pull the trigger.

The opener arrived from a Brady free-kick. His delivery was headed back across goal by Tom Anderson and from close range Walters bundled it home.

It could have been two within 60 seconds. This time Ashley Westwood freed Gudmundsson, but Chris Maxwell produced a fingertip save, before the North End stopper then held onto Anderson’s header from another Brady free-kick.

Anderson was proving a nuisance from every set-piece and his header set up Jack Cork’s 20-yard volley which flew just over.

Nick Pope was the only Clarets change at the break, coming on for Heaton, and although Preston made four changes they started brightly with Daryl Horgan going close.

Burnley almost made it two five minutes into the second half. Walters hit the post before Brady slashed it into the side-netting.

Just like the first half the Clarets had weathered a brief spell of pressure before striking. That it came from another set-piece was no surprise.

Brady’s corner was headed goalwards by Long and Vokes appeared to get a final touch to send it over the line.

Burnley allowed North End back in the game midway through the second half. Substitute Steven Defour was robbed of possession in the centre circle, allowing Maguire to drive forward and as the defence backed off he rolled the ball home from 15 yards.

The changes came thick and fast for the Clarets but they held on comfortably enough, with Defour drilling a late effort over and Dan Agyei seeing a shot deflected behind.

Burnley: Tom Heaton (Nick Pope 46), Matt Lowton (Chris Long 81), Kevin Long (Ben Mee 64), Tom Anderson, Charlie Taylor (Stephen Ward 70), Robbie Brady (Ashley Barnes 70), Ashley Westwood (Steven Defour 64), Jack Cork (Jeff Hendrick 64), Johann Berg Gudmundsson (Fredrik Ulvestad 75), Sam Vokes (Andre Gray 81), Jon Walters (Dan Agyei 81)

PNE: Chris Maxwell (Matthew Hudson 75), Liam Grimshaw, Andy Boyle, Tommy Spurr, Josh Earl (Kevin O’Connor 46), John Welsh (Alan Browne 46), Ben Pringle (Tom Barkhuizen 69), Daniel Johnson (Ben Pearson 46), Daryl Horgan, Josh Harrop (Sean Maguire 46), Eoin Doyle (Callum Robinson 75) Subs: Marnick Vermijl, Greg Cunningham, Paul Huntington, Melle Meulensteen.