BURNLEY’S start to their pre-season programme of fixtures was as serene as the glistening water on Lake Geneva which they crossed to reach the Stade de Colovray.

Swiss third tier side Stade Nyonnais aren’t exactly packed with household names and they were never likely to pose much of a test for Sean Dyche’s side, who were keen to use the game as a cautious first step on the road to match fitness.

Stade Nyon had played just 24 hours earlier, losing by the same scoreline to Sporting Lisbon, and they changed their entire team at the break. With the Clarets also making 10 outfield changes what had been a bright and breezy opening period next to UEFA’s shiny headquarters turned into typical pre-season fare.

There are worse places to start out on the journey to match sharpness though, with the view from the top of the only stand looking across Lake Geneva towards the French Alps.

It was from the French side that Burnley had come to the stadium, taking a bus from their luxurious and peaceful Evian-les-Bains training camp to the pretty medieval village of Yvoire, before joining the tourists and the locals on one of the regular 20-minute crossings to Switzerland and Nyon.

It might have been an unconventional route to a game of football for a team of Premier League footballers, but after a week of heavy rain and cooler temperatures, they were no doubt glad to soak up some sun as it finally shone across what is a picturesque setting.

There was no sign of any sea sickness as the first half team produced wave after wave of attack against Stade Nyon, settling in the end for the three goals provided by Andre Gray, Ashley Barnes and Michael Keane.

The Clarets now head from one waterfront location to another, as they swap the grandeur of the shores of Lake Geneva for the Victorian charm of Morecambe tomorrow.

But these pre-season staging posts are simply part of a plan to hit the ground running come Saturday, August 13 and the visit of Swansea to Turf Moor. There are choppier waters ahead for Burnley.

The battle with the transfer market has proved far from plain sailing so far as well, although breakthroughs have now been made, and Dyche spoke after the game of the work going on behind the scenes to strengthen the squad.

But with no new faces in the first-team picture ahead of this trip, and Tom Heaton, Sam Vokes and Stephen Ward on an extended break after their Euro 2016 excursions, it did present a chance for some of the younger players to shine.

And they gave a glimpse that the future could well be bright in terms of producing home grown players.

Goalkeepers Tony Aghayere and Conor Mitchell both made the trip, with Mitchell getting nearly half an hour against Stade Nyon, while Cameron Dummigan and Aiden O’Neill both featured in the first half, while Tom Anderson also trained with the seniors all week.

It was 18-year-old O’Neill who caught the eye. He trained regularly with the first-team last season and he looked comfortable in his first senior outing here. He can only have benefited from the experience.