Captain Anthony Glennon has welcomed a step up in class for the Under-23s as they look to bridge the gap to first-team football.
The Clarets’ began life in Premier League 2 with a 3-2 defeat at Wolves on Saturday.
But Steve Stone’s men – who had not previously had chance to play together – could easily have taken some reward from the Aggborough Stadium, where they 2-1 until just before half-time.
And Glennon believes operating at a higher level can only be beneficial following the Clarets’ Academy up-grade.
“It’s exactly what we expected,” he said.