NOT so long ago, Burnley would have been undergdogs in this clash of Pennine rivals.

Leeds were once one of the superpowers of English football. But how times have changed.

Yesterday, League One Leeds provided a useful pre-season workout for Steve Cotterill's men as they prepare for another season in the Champiohsip.

The friendly was a relatively low-key affair, not the blood and thunder clashes usually associated with the Wars of the Roses.

And for the home side, there was good and bad in equal measure.

Going forward, the Clarets looked dangerous. Andy Gray and Kyle Lafferty began the game and caused the Leeds rearguard problems in the first half. Then Ade Akinbiyi and Gray posed a different question after the break with Gray's guile and Akinbiyi's power.

But an area of concern was the porous centre of the Clarets defence. Far too many times, Jermaine Beckford and Tresor Kandol were able to get free of their markers and have sights of goal. But for better finishing, and some good goalkeeping, the wait for the Clarets first clean-sheet in pre-season would have gone on.

Burnley produced the better quality in the opening stages and the ever-improving Lafferty had the game's first shot on target as he smashed a volley from the right edge of the area, which Leeds keeper Scott Loach could only parry, but he got back to his feet before the on-rushing attackers could stab the ball home.

A minute later, Leeds made Gabor Kiraly make his first save of the afternoon when Kandol flicked on a long-throw and Beckford volleyed the ball goalwards, but the Clarets stopper was more than equal to his effort.

Seconds later, it was Kandol's turn to get a sight of goal when a long ball caught the Clarets' rearguard square, but his first touch took him away from goal and he screwed his shot wide.

Burnley broke the deadlock in the 15th minute from the spot when an eagle-eyed assistant spotted a handball by Matt Heath in the Leeds box and referee Graham Salisbury pointed to spot.

And Andy Gray made no mistake to notch his fourth goal in five pre-season games.

Besart Berisha struggled to make an impact on the game but showed a couple of nice touches. On 25 minutes, the Albanian international cleverly flicked the ball over an on-rushing defender but couldn't win the race with Loach as he looked to get a shot in on goal.

Ten minutes later, Berisha's free kick found the head of Gray who brought a save from Loach.

The Leeds fans have had to endure seeing their side slide from their Premiership perch to the depths of League One but their loyal support still turned out for what in essence is a meaningless fixture.

And they provided plenty of noise and a no little entertainment. During their medley of anti-Chelsea songs was: "Shoes off if you hate Ken Bates" with most of the thousand or so fans holding one of their shoes in the air reminiscent of a scene from Monty Python's Life of Brian.

But they very nearly had something to cheer on the pitch nine minutes before the break when Beckford's cross from wide out on the right almost caught embarrassed Kiraly as the ball clattered off the post with the keeper stranded.

Cotterill well and truly shuffled his pack at the break using six of the seven substitutions at his disposal.

Akinbiyi, who replaced Lafferty, wasted no time getting into the action as almost from the re-start he latched onto a pass before holding off his man and then flashing a shot just wide.

At the other end, a long-ball from Ben Parker caught the Clarets out but again Kandol's first touch let him down and Brian Jensen was able to snuff out the danger.

Jensen had to be on his game again less than a minute later when Kandol managed to get in behind the defence once more from Fraser Richardson's long pass but his composure let him down and Jensen was able to block his attempted flick.

But Akinbiyi sealed the win on 53 minutes with a typical poacher's goal.

Stephen Foster's ball into the box just evaded two Clarets raiders but Akinbiyi was able to get in front of his marker and prod the ball home.

Substitute Fabian Delph brought another save from Jensen with a powerful volley from outside of the box on the hour.

And with 20 minutes left, Kandol again fluffed his lines as he was put in on goal and Jensen blocked.

The game rather petered out and Cotterill's men secured a win and a clean sheet.

But as the players flew out to Austria yesterday, the Clarets boss will have plenty to ponder during the week-long training camp.

Burnley: Kiraly (Jensen 46), Foster, Harley (Mahon 46), Duff, Caldwell, O'Connor (Gudjonsson 46), Gray (Rodriguez 73), McCann (Spicer 46), Lafferty (Akinbiyi 46), Berisha (Elliott 46), Jordan.

Leeds: Loach, Richardson (Bayly 76), Heath, Marques, Lewis (Parker 33), Douglas (Howson 70), Prutton (Weston 70), Thompson (Carole 70), Westlake (Delph 58), Beckford, Kandol. Unused subs: Creswell, Hamman, Elliott.

Attendance: 5290