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A much stronger reserve side than we've seen previously and a line up that included ten players who have featured at some stage in the first team this season, with Alex-Ray Harvey the odd one out. It looked a team that would be too strong for Shrewsbury but on more than one occasion during the first half we were fortunate to be level and thankful for the goalkeeping of Lee Grant.
Shrewsbury should have been in front after only five minutes after what would have been a disaster for us defensively. Michael Duff and Brian Easton combined to cause the initial problem and then Easton's back pass was woefully short. Grant came out but brought down Shrews' forward Tom Bradshaw leaving the referee pointing at the penalty spot.
Grant, however, redeemed himself with an excellent save to his right to keep the scores level, and he made another good stop as we struggled to get any sort of foothold in the game.
The good passing we've seen in reserve games this season was missing; there was no real movement from the players in midfield, and certainly none of the players who might be fighting for a first team place were doing anything to impress the watching manager.
We did have one opportunity during this period but Wes Fletcher, usually so assured, didn't get a good enough first touch and any chance of a shot at goal went begging.
Then, the game changed following another good save from Grant. Suddenly we found ourselves on top and ten minutes before half time we took the lead. Shrewsbury were appealing for a free kick after what they considered was a foul by Alex MacDonald, but he was allowed to continue down the right hand side before laying the ball across for Kevin McDonald.
McDonald hit a shot into the top corner with the goalkeeper well beaten, but a second look at the goal from another angle showed we'd benefited from a deflection, and it wasn't the only time that would happen in our favour.
We nearly doubled the lead within two minutes, but we didn't have too long to wait for the second goal, five minutes in fact. This time it was Alex Mac on the scoresheet. He linked up with Richard Eckersley and the full back finally played the ball back for MacDonald who slotted home from around ten yards out.
Fletcher almost added a third right on half time and we went in at half time so much on top it was hard to believe we'd struggled for half an hour.
If we'd ended the first half well, then we certainly started the second half even better and but for Shrewsbury goalkeeper Ben Smith we could have been out of sight. He made two outstanding saves to deny Fletcher and Martin Paterson. Other efforts were blocked, they got last ditch tackles in and you wondered just how many we might get.
Just past the hour, with the score still 2-0, we made a triple substitution. The two central defenders, Leon Cort and Michael Duff, who are in contention for Saturday, left the field along with McDonald.
Nik Kudiersky and Kevin Long went into the back four and Michael King came on to play on the left hand side. Nothing changed, and we continued on top and it was King, perhaps even with his first touch, who got the third.
If McDonald's had taken something of a deflection then this one certainly did as King's shot completely changed direction off a defender giving the goalkeeper not an earthy chance of keeping it out.
Pato looked desperate to get a goal and saw his effort cleared off the line as we continued to dominate. Then, just as we'd struggled at the start, it all changed again in the last ten minutes and two minutes from the end Shrewsbury's Tom Bradshaw finally got the goal that their first half hour performance had deserved.
That's four wins in five so far this season and we're top of the league. We know one of the central defenders will play at Bramall Lane on Saturday but I don't think any of the others on view did enough to warrant being included in the first team just yet. Some of them were more likely in the shop window and could be on the way out on loan very soon.
Last night's teams were;
Burnley: Lee Grant, Richard Eckersley, Leon Cort (Michael King 62), Michael Duff (Nik Kudiersky 62), Brian Easton, Alex MacDonald, Kevin McDonald (Kevin Long 62), David Edgar, Alex-Ray Harvey, Martin Paterson, Wes Fletcher. Subs not used: Ben Woodhead, Chris Lynch, Chris Anderson, Dominic Knowles.
Shrewsbury: Ben Smith, A Trialist, Danny Taylor, B Trialist, Harry Hooman, Conor Goldson, Jon Taylor, Steve Leslie, Tom Bradshaw, Ben Van Den Broek, Lewis Neal. Subs: Hakan Duyan, Ben Evans, Elliott Turner, Kane Cork, Omer Recci.