Premier League Burnley are back in action

New signing Steven Fletcher is expected to feature

A pre-season trip to the Bradford & Bingley Pulse Flamingo Land Pension Fund Intersonic Coral Windows Valley Parade Stadium is becoming a regular thing. Steve Cotterill took us there two years ago just ahead of the trip to Austria and a year ago we played there just a couple of days after our trip to Belfast to play Glentoran.

This time it is right at the beginning of the pre-season programme and it is a game that has been eagerly awaited as we start our public preparations for the historic season ahead of us.

All three of our new signings are expected to be on view at some stage or other with Owen Coyle saying that he'll play one team in the first half and one in the second half so we can expect 45 minutes from all of David Edgar, Steven Fletcher and Tyrone Mears alongside the Wembley heroes.

With this being our first game since Wembley a bigger than usual crowd is expected. We are in the East Stand this year, as two years ago, which thankfully means we are not stuck in that horrible little stand behind the goal this time.

As for the team news, there is no point trying to guess the starting line up for the Clarets but it is expected that two of the squad will be missing. Alex MacDonald joined Falkirk on loan yesterday whilst Bes Berisha, a player who looks as though he'll never kick a ball for Burnley in a competitive game, is believed to be on trial with German club Arminia Bielefeld.

Owen Coyle will have the rest of the squad at his disposal and we'll select from the following 27 players:

Goalkeepers: Diego Penny, Brian Jensen

Defenders: Christian Kalvenes, Michael Duff, Clarke Carlisle, Steven Caldwell, Tyrone Mears, David Edgar, Stephen Jordan, Chris Lynch, Nik Kudiersky

Midfielders: Graham Alexander, Kevin McDonald, Joey Gudjonsson, Wade Elliott, Chris McCann, Robbie Blake, Adam Kay, Remco van der Schaaf, Chris Eagles, Chris Anderson, Alex-Ray Harvey

Forwards: Steven Fletcher, Martin Paterson, Jay Rodriguez, Steven Thompson, Wes Fletcher

Our opponents will have a somewhat different looking side to the one we played a year ago with today's line up littered with new signings and trialists.

Summer acquisitions Jonathan Bateson, Simon Ramsden and Gareth Evans will all feature as will trialists James Hanson, Alan Mannus, Steve Williams, Grant Smith, James O'Neill and Jordan Hadfield.

One player manager Stuart McCall would have liked to have had in his squad is former Claret Steve Jones. After impressing for the Bantams last season McCall tried to sign him but yesterday he signed for League One Walsall.

Just 47 days - and here we go again. I for one am really looking forward to it.