AMBITIOUS Burnley are hoping that the visit of Premiership giants Chelsea will provide a taste of things to come.

The big-spending Londoners visit Turf Moor for the Clarets' last pre-season clash on Saturday, August 4.

And with Burnley gearing themselves up on and off the field for promotion from Division One, chairman Barry Kilby is looking to make fixtures against the likes of Chelsea a staple diet in the not-too-distant future.

He said: "Both the Everton and the Chelsea games, and particularly the Chelsea one, are good games and for us will be a benchmark.

"I know a friendly is a friendly but it will be nice to see these teams at Turf Moor and hopefully we will have them in a real context at some stage."

Burnley were just one win away from getting into the top-six last term and that will be the aim this time around.

The club stepped up its marketing drive last night as the board looks to increase manager Stan Ternent's spending power and Kilby told existing sponsors and potential backers: "We had a superb season and next season promises to be even better as we aim to push for that play-off place, which we just so narrowly missed out on, in a division which looks likely to be the strongest for many years.

"We have come a long way in three years and if we continue our strong commercial partnerships we could all be here next year looking forward to a season with football's elite."

There's no disguising that Burnley will now be seen as promotion material but reality suggests that they face a genuine fight to compete with big spenders Wolves and Birmingham, the relegated Premiership trio of Manchester City, Coventry and Bradford and the likes of Preston and Gianluca Vialli's Watford.

"I seriously believe it will be a really tough league this year," Kilby added. "There are some under-achievers who will be out to make sure they don't do the same again and there is a lot of money starting to be spent now."

"The Midlands clubs are going for it and there are some where there are quite rich backers, like Portsmouth and Crystal Palace.

"Looking at the financial muscle and turnover we will be well in the bottom half, but what we can do we will do it right."

Burnley may still be playing catch-up in financial terms, but with the riches of the Premiership within touching distance that won't dampen their desire to chase promotion.

"Everbody thinks in these terms, but that's what we want to do," said the chairman, whose message was echoed by chief executive Andrew Watson.

"It will be a tough league and there are no guarantees. But out aim is to be in the top six and be a club in the top two divisions for the next 20 years, hopefully with some of that time in the Premiership," said Watson.

The Clarets plan to increase their turnover from £8 million to £10 million next year and last night revealed a range of enhanced match-day sponsorship packages.

They have already filled all their hospitality boxes and have sold 11,100 season-tickets. Financial services and day-to-day corporate facilities and entertainment are now set to be key sources of revenue with the club determined to maximise their income in order to compete with the division's heavyweights.

"We aim to balance the books so the more we can do the better," Kilby added.