The Clarets will again look to use picturesque Obertraun as their base for two games against European opposition in late July.

Manager Steve Cotterill and his players enjoyed a successful stay in Obertraun last July, where they played Bundesliga sides Wacker Burghausen and 1860 Munich as part of their final preparations for the Championship season.

And more details of this year's trip are expected to be announced in the coming days.

Burnley's pre-season fixture list is now filling out, with Cotterill taking his side back to Cheltenham for the first game on Saturday, July 16. Accrington Stanley will host the Clarets in a traditional meeting of the two sides on Wednesday 20th, before Spanish La Liga side visit Turf Moor for a high-profile friendly on Saturday 23rd.

The trip to Austria follows, with the 2005/06 season kicking off in earnest on Saturday, August 6.

Meanwhile, Wayne Thomas has revealed he quit Stoke for Burnley after City chiefs took too long to offer him a new contract.

The 26-year-old defender signed a three-year deal with the Clarets last week after Cotterill made a gruelling 9,000-mile round trip to Florida to secure his services.

AUSTRIAN ADVENTURE

Thomas, also a target for Norwich, Ipswich and Derby, said: "Towards the end Stoke made a few offers, but it all came a little too late after all the messing around.

"I was asking for a contract at the beginning of the year and it took until a month before the end of the season for me to be offered something that was

relatively decent."

Elsewhere, Cork City striker Kevin Doyle has undergone a medical at Reading following reported interest from several Championship clubs, including Burnley.

However, I understand Cotterill made nothing more than a tentative enquiry about the Republic of Ireland U21 striker, who will cost the Royals around £80,000.

Elsewhere in the Coca Cola Championship, Keith Gillespie is confident of finding another club in the Coca-Cola Championship after being released by Leicester.

"I was pretty pleased with the way I played, especially in the first half.

"If teams don't know the way I play by now they will never know."