THE Clarets start their preparations for next season in earnest tomorrow afternoon when they take on Wrexham in Douglas in the Isle of Man Steam Packet Football Tournament.

And for one man who has strong connections with both clubs it will be a strange experience as he will not be there.

Brian Flynn was a legendary player at Turf Moor and for more than a decade he was the manager of Wrexham but today he has flown out to Spain on a PFA coaching course in Spain instead of a shorter flight to Douglas.

"It has been very strange not being involved in pre-season for the first time in 30 years," admitted Flynn, who was sacked by the Welsh club in the early weeks of last season.

"And I know what a good tournament the one in the Isle of Man is in terms of preparation. Wrexham have been there for the last eight years with me and it is a great event.

"It is timed very well, superbly organised, they have excellent facilities and it is always competitive with games played in the right manner."

But while the games are competitive Flynn insisted that the results are not the most important things.

"All the managers who are there will know that the most important thing is to make sure that you get a bit of action into all the players but the most important thing is that you don't have a problem with any injuries," he said.

"That is why the players know that they must not do anything too stupid.

"But when the results are looked at, the managers are aware they do not really matter. We all know that the Isle of Man actually beat Burnley recently but the Clarets went on to have a really good season."

One player who will be more eager than most to be in action at some stage tomorrow is Mark McGregor. He left Wrexham and Flynn last summer to move to Burnley last summer but was unable to dislodge Dean West from the right back position. But with last season's player of the year still stalling about signing a new contract McGregor knows that he has the chance to stake a claim for the position should West fail to stay at Turf Moor.

Meanwhile, Clarets fan and BBC weatherman John Kettley is confident that the weather will be dry for supporters travelling to watch Stan Ternent's team in action.

Kettley said today: "In that part of the world the weather is often mixed but the indications are that it should at least stay mainly dry.

"The wind is going to be from the north west and so it may be a bit cloudy but it should be ideal conditions for the lads to prepare for next season."