EDDIE Howe refused to blame their first loss in three pre-season friendlies on a lengthy journey to the south west on the day of the game.

The Clarets began their tour of the south west, starting with a disappointing 2-0 defeat at Bristol Rovers last night.

They had opted for a double training session on Monday and early departure for their Bath base yesterday, but had their travel plans disrupted by lengthy delays.

“We’re not going to look at the journey as an excuse,” he said.

“We’re working them hard. They did a double session (on Monday) so they could be a bit leggy.

“We’re still getting fitness into their game but there are still disappointing aspects to their game that we need to improve.”

With the defeat coming on the back of a 4-2 win over Altrincham and 3-0 win at Bury, where Chris Eagles also missed a penalty, Howe was disappointed not to score at the Memorial Stadium last night, although Burnley twice hit the woodwork.

“We didn’t create much, for whatever reason,” said the Burnley boss.

“We hit the post early and then came alive in the closing stages.

“We will reflect on the performance and make sure we get better.”

Burnley have taken a 23-man squad on their tour of the south west, including trialist goalkeeper Jon Stewart and second year scholar Steve Hewitt.

Defender Leon Cort, young midfielder Alex-Ray Harvey and striker Dominic Knowles have not travelled.