BURNLEY swept Stanley aside to emphatically answer manager Steve Cotterill's call for goals and a victory.

The Conference challengers were swiftly put to the sword as the Clarets flexed their muscles and sealed a comfortable win with two goals in the opening 25 minutes through John McGreal and Graham Branch.

Lively winger Wade Elliott then wrapped things up by opening his account for the club with a classy solo effort midway through the second half.

In stout defence of the Reds, this was their second game in 24 hours and vastly inferior opponents lie in wait.

But even at their sharpest, John Coleman's side would surely have struggled to match the quality and commitment on display from the Clarets.

Even the Reds boss conceded: "Burnley are a very strong side and we won't come up against anyone that physically strong all season."

Straight from the kick off the Clarets grabbed the baton and ran with it. Trialist Artim Sakiri made his presence felt within three minutes, supplying the ammunition for Elliott to provide a cross that was scrambled for a corner.

However, the reprieve was short lived as Ade Akinbiyi nodded Sakiri's deep dead ball delivery back across goal for McGreal to head home from under the crossbar.

Stanley were already struggling to gain any foothold and Akinbiyi had a goal disallowed for offside before Elliott, who was already tormenting left back Chris Butler, rattled the inside of the far post with a rasping low drive.

The second goal had to come and when Elliott's 25th minute cross was deflected into Akinbiyi's path, his resultant shot from a tight angle struck the post and was gleefully belted home by Branch.

Burnley keeper Brian Jensen was finally called into routine action just before half time when Paul Mullin tried to strain his neck muscles and only found the great Dane's gloves.

And although Stanley's four half time substitutions made them a livelier proposition - with trialist Ben Lloyd catching the eye - the Clarets continued to carve out the better clear-cut chances.

Half time sub Garreth O'Connor instantly re-asserted that authority with a snapshot from the edge of the area straight at new keeper Danny Alcock.

Akinbiyi was then a short stud away from converting from close range when Elliott again bamboozled the Reds defence to deliver from the right.

But finally, Elliott struck gold himself in the 65th minute, controlling Sakiri's raking crossfield ball with one touch, dancing through the Stanley defence with the next few and finding the bottom corner with a rapier-like strike.

That effectively ended all faint hopes of a fightback, although Lloyd, the son of former Lancashire and England cricketer David, was eager to impress.

First, defender Michael Duff's slip allowed the striker a golden chance that he pulled wide of goal.

And when Lloyd then found his range, second half Clarets stopper Danny Coyne was spectacularly equal to his goalbound drive.

On a night when Burnley turned on the style, even a consolation goal was denied the Reds.