THE pre-season training is over, the warm-up games have gone, now the big kick off is upon us -- and I can't wait!

I'm looking forward to this season more than any of the previous five or six.

Of course I have concerns, as every Burnley fan must have, but this is the first team Steve Cotterill can truly call his own.

He's got rid of the players he didn't want and brought in five new faces that are suited to his style of play.

On the positive side, I think the manager can field a team that can improve on last season's 13th position.

A top half of the table finish and a few cup runs would suit me down to the ground.

When Steve came in, he did say it would take a couple of years to turn things around and we all have to be patient and trust him.

When you look at his strongest side, it is a solid unit that will take some beating and Burnley are capable of beating any of the top sides on their day.

But what concerns me is that, once you scratch the surface, there is not much there.

It's better than last year but I still think we are three or four players short of a squad that has real strength-in-depth.

I have to admit, I am also a bit worried about the lack of goals from Ade Akinbiyi and Gifton Noel-Williams in the pre-season games.

I know they are low key affairs and you can't really take much out of them.

But I would much rather see the two of them with a couple of goals under their belt rather than waiting to see if they click at Crewe tomorrow.

There is also the problem that they are both similar in styles. In an ideal world, it would be good to have one player feeding off the other.

Maybe the young Jamaican trialist, Luton Shelton, can offer us something a little different.

Of course, Ade and Gifton could go and prove me wrong and score a hatful of goals and no-one would be happier than me if they did.

In terms of promotion, you have to look at the three teams that came down as the ones who will be there or thereabouts.

Southampton have had their problems but they will be a strong team in this division, as will Crystal Palace and Norwich.

But I think Steve will be more concerned with the teams at the bottom.

And if they can finish above the likes of Brighton, Plymouth, Crewe, Watford and all of the new-boys Luton, then he will have done his job.