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It is a tournament known around the world but one I had never attended and admit I knew little about.
One of our less popular former players Kyle Lafferty appeared for Northern Ireland while at Burnley, but perhaps even more tenuous, Danny Karbassiyoon once finished as top scorer.
After five days and five games, all played way, way, way up on the north coast, I was exhausted but impressed by some of the quality performances shown by the young Burnley players.
Over the course of the week-long tournament I drove more than 500 miles to cover each game, and my exhaust now sounds like it is about to fall off. I never want to see the Lodge Road roundabout in Coleraine again.
Often called the black north by locals, it rained and rained and rained and then rained some more, each and every day.
Burnley picked up fans that chose to brave the adverse conditions owing largely to their exciting style of play, characterised by good movement and quick and confident passing.
The Clarets were followed around counties Derry and Antrim by a small but loyal group of fans, made up mostly of players' dads, Curtis Woods' family and friends and a small black and white dog.
One admirer was an elderly gentleman from Co Longford who caught the Co Fermanagh game by accident. He had been walking through Coleraine town centre with his grandson and spotted the claret shirts on the Anderson Park pitch.
He stopped to enjoy the game and then spoke excitedly about Chris McCann or "that Irish lad that's over there. He's good".
It was difficult to know what to expect before the tournament, even after the draw was made. We learned that the opposition would be one of the county select teams, who have their pick of the best 16 and 17 year olds from all of the county's clubs.
The small and inexperienced squad had to be padded out with two U16s - Stephen Hewitt and Kyle Reilly - along with three players on trial, two of them goalkeepers. Regular keeper Dan McDonald and fellow second year Michael King both made the trip but both were too old to play.
Day one saw the young Clarets put in a decent performance against Co Londonderry at the Limavady Showgrounds although a shock decision by the referee ruined any chance of what would have been a credible draw.
The ref awarded a harsh penalty and sent off Irish defender Curtis Woods and Burnley lost 1-0. Fingers were pointed at Canadian keeper Jacob Matthews who threw the ball straight to the Derry forward just before the penalty incident.
The Clarets were further stretched by the loss of Dean Overson, who had his ankle broken in three places late in the match. He spent the rest of the week on crutches and visiting the Causeway Hospital with his dad.
On day two came a 5-3 defeat against Trudovye Rezervy at the University of Ulster in Coleraine, despite the Clarets being 2-0 up and seemingly coasting. On-trial keeper Will Fuller had a day to forget, gifting the Russians three goals.
It was unfortunate that the defeat against the Russians meant missing out on the Milk Cup proper and a chance to play some of the bigger teams in the bigger grounds.
While Manchester United, Fenerbache and FC Porto fought it out at Irish League grounds for the top prize, the Clarets were forced to play more Irish county teams at much smaller venues for a less prestigious accolade.
The venues did not get much more mundane than on day three, Anderson Park in Coleraine at the side of a busy road. Still, a large crowd saw Burnley's first Dunluce Trophy match against Co Fermanagh end 0-0.
After three days in Co Derry it was off down the A26 and M2 to Broughshane in Co Antrim on day four. Club Cantolao from Peru looked and sounded like a class act but were woeful and Burnley won 7-1. It could have, and should have, been far worse.
Day five saw a return to the university in Coleraine where an awful Co Tyrone managed to win 2-1, although Burnley played some of their finest football that day, again in horrible conditions.
Martin Dobson, Burnley's Director of Youth, was with the squad for the first part of the week. He certainly returned to Burnley with a favourable impression. "I thought it was an excellent tournament," he said.
"We arrived on Sunday and were immediately involved in the Parade Ceremony where all 50 teams were introduced to the people of Coleraine. The turn out was fantastic. It shows what a great deal of effort goes into the organisation of the event."
Dobson was keen to stress just how important the tournament was for the squad as a whole, not just on the field but off it too.
"We were housed in University accommodation and used their catering facilities. I felt it was the ideal location for the squad. For many it was their first time away from home so they had to experience living within a group environment.
"The word bonding comes to mind and it was an ideal opportunity to find out about each other. They will all have to rely on each other during the course of the season and it is so important to understand each other both on and off the pitch."
Speaking about the games, he admitted: "The results and performances were mixed. Some periods of games we showed some very good passages of play - incisive passing movements, good interchanges of play - but then we did concede some very poor goals. Let's hope the boys have learned from their mistakes and will make fewer when the games programme starts in a few weeks time."
Injuries are always going to happen and Dobson had a word for the two who have picked up serious injuries recently, Tommy Taylor and Dean Overson. "Tommy dislocated his shoulder prior to the event and Dean suffered a fractured ankle in the first game against Co Londonderry. We wish them both a speedy recovery," he concluded.
While there was only one win, the young team scored 11 goals and conceded just the nine. They clearly used the tournament as a training and fitness exercise and put in some good performances.
It was my first time seeing one of our underage teams in action and it was thoroughly enjoyable. Would I do it all again next year? Definitely. Well, possibly.
Squad and appearances
1. Jacob Matthews 3
2. Jake McEneaney 5
3. Dom Knowles 5
4. Liam Newman 4
5. Edward Williams 4 (1)
6. Stephen Edwards 5
7. Curtis Woods 4
8. David Lynch 4
9. Ross Wilson 4
10. James Kavanagh 2
11. James Taylor 3 (1)
12. Will Fuller 2 (1)
14. Joe Jackson 4
15. Dean Overson 1
16. Stephen Hewitt 3
17. Kyle Reilly 2
Goals: Newman (4), Jackson (3), Wilson (2), Williams, Woods
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