Stoke sink Burnley on Clarets´ return

Stoke City, having confounded the doubters in maintaining their Premier League status last season, began the new campaign by showing no mercy to promoted Burnley, seeing off the Clarets 2-0 at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday.

Burnley, returning to the big time after 33 years, were undone by two first-half goals and will need to acclimatise quickly if they are to avoid embarrassment next Wednesday, when champions Manchester United arrive at Turf Moor.

Stoke, who relied on impressive home form to stay up by some distance last season having been many observers’ tip for the drop, went ahead with their first real effort on goal on 19 minutes, Liam Lawrence’s freekick finding Ryan Shawcross, who headed back across goal and into the net

Emboldened by their opener, Stoke chased forward and doubled their advantage in typical fashion using last season’s no longer so secret weapon, Rory Delap.

Delap’s huge throw-ins set up numerous goals last season and on 34 minutes another of his missiles sowed confusion in the visiting defence, causing the unfortunate Stephen Jordan, under pressure from James Beattie, to flick the ball into his own net.

It was scant consolation, his effort coming at the wrong end, that Jordan became the first Burnley man to score in the top flight since 1977.

Ricardo Fuller had a header cleared off the line as the one-way traffic continued.

Substitute Dave Kitson, on for Beattie, came close to heaping more misery on Owen Coyle’s newcomers but his effort struck the crossbar.

Steven Fletcher and Martin Paterson did eke out chances for Burnley, but they finished well beaten.

While the likes of Manchester City have happily spent tens of millions of euros across the summer reshaping their squad Stoke have been careful with the cash and Sunderland midfielder Dean Whitehead, bought for a frugal four million euros, is coach Tony Pulis’ main new face.

Despite their relatively empty coffers Stoke’s win saw them improve a poor record against their rivals since they quit the old Victoria Ground for the Britannia Stadium, where Burnley had won on five of eight previous occasions for only one loss.