HAVING spent nearly a week training in Evian in July Burnley were probably shocked to take to the field at Morecambe in temperatures far exceeding anything seen on the shores of Lake Geneva this year.

While a year ago the Clarets baked in the mid-30s in France, this time it was markedly cooler, and their first taste of the intense heat that pre-season can occasionally bring came on the Lancashire coast instead.

On a day that saw temperatures soar across the country Sean Dyche’s players got a real test of their fitness levels after just two weeks of pre-season training.

And that, rather than results, is the real measuring stick for these pre-season run outs, with Dyche keen to point they are to get match fitness into the player’s legs ahead of the start of the Premier League season, with the outcome of the games of secondary importance.

But Dyche will at least be pleased with the way his side got back into the game after they went behind against the run of play in the second half, with Andre Gray again looking sharp when he appeared for the second half, while youngsters Cameron Dummigan and Aiden O’Neill got another 45 minutes each under their belt.

The first chance fell to the Clarets on five minutes, with Michael Kightly sending in a left-wing cross which Ashley Barnes headed down and towards goal, only to be denied by the diving Barry Roche.

Paul Robinson was called into action for the first time on 18 minutes, diving low to his left to turn a deflected 30-yard free-kick around the post.

Four minutes later Fredrik Ulvestad broke from midfield and fed Rouwen Hennings beyond the Shrimps defence, but his fierce low shot was saved by Roche’s legs.

At the other end Robinson easily collected a glancing header from a Morecambe attacker before Rhys Turner dragged wide.

The game was being played at a slow pace as the mercury continued to hit 30 degrees at the Globe Arena, with most of the pitch in the baking sun in the first half, and after Michael Keane had looped a header from Kightly’s corner over the bar the game was stopped 10 minutes before half-time for a drinks break.

The Clarets had one final half chance before the break but Scott Arfield was forced wide after his diagonal run was found by Kightly’s through ball.

Just as he had done in Switzerland on Friday night Dyche made 10 outfield changes at the break, with Robinson keeping his place in goal.

Burnley had twice come close within five minutes of the restart, with George Boyd’s shot deflected wide, and from the resulting Dean Marney corner Lukas Jutkiewicz powered a header narrowly over the bar.

But moments later it was the home side who took the lead on a rare foray forward. A low cross from the left was only palmed into the ground by Robinson and Turner was on hand to head home from six-yards out.

Burnley came close to an equaliser on the hour as Jutkiewicz glanced a header from Chris Long’s centre just wide of the far post.

With the pitch now covered in shade the Clarets were turning up the heat themselves, with Gray’s shot deflected narrowly wide before Jutkiewicz just failed to turn Long’s fizzing drive towards goal.

The equaliser arrived on 66 minutes as Gray, who had looked a threat since his arrival from the bench, collected Boyd’s pass and drilled a low shot home from 20 yards.

The Shrimps were back on the offensive shortly after with Cole Stockton curling a shot over after good work by the impressive Turner.

There was one final chance for the Clarets as the tempo dropped, with Boyd’s clipped ball sending Jutkiewicz through but he took his eye off the ball as Morecambe’s trialist goalkeeper advanced, and the ball rolled out for a goal-kick.
 

Burnley: Paul Robinson; Matt Lowton (Tendayi Darikwa 46), Ben Mee (James Tarkowski 46), Michael Keane (Kevin Long 46), Cameron Dummigan (Danny Lafferty 46); Michael Kightly (George Boyd 46), Fredrik Ulvestad (Dean Marney 46), David Jones (Aiden O’Neill 46), Scott Arfield (Chris Long 46); Rouwen Hennings (Lukas Jutkiewicz 46), Ashley Barnes (Andre Gray 46)