Ashley Westwood captained the Clarets as he made a popular return to the Alexandra Stadium.
But the midfielder couldn’t help Burnley overcome his former club as League Two Crewe warmed up for the start of their season in a fortnight’s time with a morale-boosting win.
Westwood started his career with the Railwaymen and won promotion and captained the club before he left to join Aston Villa at the age of 22.
His return was warmly welcomed as he was given the armband by assistant manager Ian Woan, who led the Clarets in company with Under-23s’ boss and former Nottingham Forest team-mate Steve Stone.