BURNLEY are on the right track ahead of their latest pre-season friendly at Wigan according to boss Sean Dyche.

The Clarets face old boy Paul Cook’s side at the DW Stadium this afternoon (3pm) as the build-up continues to the start of the new Premier League season getting under way on August 10.

After some behind-closed doors games, Dyche split his squad for two games played at the same time against Crewe, a 1-0 defeat, and Port Vale, a 3-1 victory, last Saturday.

The squad came together for the 2-0 win at Joey Barton’s Fleetwood on Tuesday night with most of the outfield players getting another 45 minutes in the bank.

And having faced League Two and League One opposition it is now a Championship test for the Clarets who are a fortnight away from their opening day game against Southampton at Turf Moor.

Dyche knows that prospect is something the players are itching to get stuck into.

“I think we are getting there,” the Clarets boss said. 

“We have got two and a half weeks, we have more games coming so I am not expecting to see everything looking perfect but there have been some good habits.

“What is difficult is you try and add form. I have had varied pre-seasons - good, bad and indifferent and none of them have led to what has happened at the beginning of the season. It has all been different.

“We have got to look beyond that, look for fitness and you can see things in the eyes of players.

“You can see it in some players and they are at it straight away and they are often the ones that end up getting in the team.

“Certain players are looking fit and sharp and others need more game time and that is just the way it is.

“All players are different, some adapt straight away, some just need these pre-season games to get it out of their system and some just need the real deal.

“They just get through these games because they need what it is to play real football and I mean that with all due respect, just the feeling that it is a real game.

“They know that it is a friendly, whatever word you wish to use, it is hard to replicate the real

thing.”

Dyche says the team that faces Wigan will be mix and match once again before he focuses more on what his side might look like for the start of the new campaign.

For the Clarets boss it is still a case of getting miles in the legs for his players, although he does have one eye on potential combinations he could use going forwards.

“It will be a mixed situation again this weekend, that is the plan,” he said.

 “But we have been working, Thursday was a double session and a tough day, Friday was a bit calmer but there’ll still be work.

“We will mix the teams again on Saturday, not necessarily 45s but we will mix the teams and work it out on the levels of training.

“We have GPS so we know the mileage, the pace and the tempo of the game and we will monitor all that.

“After that quite obviously it will ease slightly and be more sharp work rather than miles in the legs.

“We want to familiarise relationships both in training and on the pitch but the main thing at this stage is still fitness and being injury free.”

The Clarets hope defender Ben Mee will be able to feature for the first time this pre-season at Wigan having battled a groin problem in recent weeks.