Steve Stone said his players couldn’t have given any more after they saw their Lancashire FA Senior Cup hopes ended by derby rivals Blackburn Rovers.
The Clarets’ Under-23s lost 2-0 at the County Ground as their injury problems finally caught up with them.
Central midfielders Josh Benson, Christian N’Guessan and Mace Goodridg were all absent, while top scorer Dan Agyei was forced off after less than half an hour with an ankle injury which required an X-ray.
The Clarets still held sway before the break against a Category One Academy side playing their football in the top tier of Premier League 2.