Clarets youngsters were given a footballing lesson by Tranmere at Turf Moor last night as they crashed out of the Lancashire FA Youth Cup.

The margin of 5-0 could have been greater if it had not been for some fine stops by keeper James Salisbury who time and again was exposed by defensive frailties.

Tommy Rooney and Paul Robinson repeatedly burst beyond Burnley's flat back four and caused havoc all evening.

The commanding presence of the ineligible Earl Davis was sorely missed and a third successive defeat was far from ideal preparation ahead of Sunday's trip to Maine Road for an AXA FA Youth Cup clash.

The Clarets did make a few chances of their own with Salisbury's opposite number Richard Sanna forced to make a couple of good saves to keep out a Damien Hindle shot in the first half and a header from skipper Joel Pilkington in the second.

But the game was won in the space of five first half minutes, on each occasion the offside trap being sprung and Salisbury finding himself helpless.

The young stopper, who has been working well under goalkeeping coach Alex Stepney, had dived full length to deny Paul Brown and used his feet to deny Rooney but he could do nothing as Robinson, Karl Dunbar and Ryan Taylor all netted.

After the interval Robinson completed his hat-trick while his impressive strike partner Rooney struck a post.

Burnley made three changes in an attempt to tighten up at the back and skipper Pilkington dropped into the back line but it was still the visitors who carried most threat.

BURNLEY YOUTH...0

TRANMERE ROVERS...5

BURNLEY: Salisbury; Richardson, Eves, Leary, Fogarty (45 Barrow); Rasmussen, Pilkington, Blakey (Chaplow 72), O'Neill; Hindle (Allen 48), Barratt. Sub (not used): Hale

TRANMERE ROVERS: Sanna; Taylor (Hooper 62), Griffiths, Linwood, Ashton; McQuire (Carroll 73), Jennings (Dagnall 80), Dunbar, Brown; Rooney, Robinson. Subs (not used): Palthorpe, Scott.