BURNLEY fans will travel in their droves to Accrington tonight to get their first glimpse of the new-look Burnley side.

Several hundred supporters made the long trip to Cheltenham last Saturday to see all five summer signings play some part in the opening friendly game of the summer.

And Stanley are expecting one of their biggest crowds of the season - around 3,000 - when Cotterill's Clarets roll into town for the annual pre-season clash.

Boss Cotterill said: "We are looking forward to going over to Accrington. We had a good game there last year that both teams enjoyed and it is not far for our supporters to travel to, which is great.

"I get on very well with their chairman, Eric Whalley, who puts his heart and soul into the club..

"The pitch is always immaculate, the dressing rooms are always clean and we get really well looked after, so I think they are a great club run by some good people."

Cotterill has named the same 17-man squad that drew 0-0 with Cheltenham, with Wayne Thomas again expected to line up alongside John McGreal in a new central defensive partnership.

The former Stoke City stopper slotted effortlessly into the back line at Whaddon Road, where former Potteries team mates Gifton Noel-Williams and Ade Akinbiyi showed a good understanding as they resumed their striking partnership.

Noel-Williams' first touch was especially impressive on his Clarets debut, where his understanding with the powerful Akinibiyi showed signs of genuine promise.

Complementing the ex-City contingent are attack-minded former Bournemouth duo Garreth O'Connor and Wade Elliott, who, in addition to being the supply line, will be looking to improve the number of goals Burnley scored from midfield last season.

Finally, Cotterill could hand a first start to American youngster Danny Karbassiyoon, who showed in a 24-minute cameo as a substitute at Cheltenham that he will be a vital cog in the machine when the Championship season cranks into life.

The versatile 20-year-old arrives at Turf Moor as a striker converted to left back, who played on either side of midfield in the latter stages of an eye-catching display at Whaddon Road, where he also took corners from both sides.

Arguably the toughest decision Cotterill has to make is who starts the season as his number one. Welsh number one Danny Coyne and rival Brian Jensen shared the honours last season, and at Cheltenham, and both will fancy their chances of winning the battle for the green jersey next month.

Stanley are likely to field a similar side to the one that lost 1-0 to Preston North End at Livingstone Road last night.

And chairman Whalley insisted: "It's always a pleasure to welcome Burnley. Barry Kilby and I are good friends and obviously with Burnley playing their reserve games here last year, Steve (Cotterill) and I got to know each other much better.

"I'd like to think we have a special relationship with the club as a whole and we know their supporters always turn up in force for this game, which makes this undoubtedly our most important pre-season game financially.

"As the junior club in this region, it's good to have someone in the Championship who is such an ally."

Kick off tonight is 7.30pm, with cash turnstiles in operation priced at £10 for adults, £6 for OAPs and juniors and £3 for under-12s.