BURNLEY’s youngsters will be out to avoid a potential banana skin when they get their FA Youth Cup campaign underway tonight.

The Under 18s travel to London to face AFC Wimbledon at Kingsmeadow in the third round of the competition.

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And boss Terry Pashley has urged his young stars to embark on a cup run as they face lower league opposition for the first time in three years.

“It’s the biggest competition for them all season,” said Pashley, who has been involved with the Clarets youth system since 1992.

“The league is your bread and butter and we have three cup competitions, two of them regionalised, but the FA Youth Cup is the big one, it’s like the real FA Cup, you can draw anyone and it is great if you can have a little run in it.”

Last year Burnley were beaten in the third round at Manchester United, while the year before they beat United at Old Trafford but lost at Manchester City.

The Clarets best run in recent years came in 2011/12, when they reached the semi-finals but lost over two legs to rivals Blackburn Rovers.

Pashley is a firm believer in how the Youth Cup can benefit young players.

“There is pressure in knockout football and the chance you can draw a big side,” he said.

“We have had that in the last couple of years playing Manchester United and it’s a great chance to gauge where our young players are.

“It will be a bit of a different test for us on Thursday, with how the players deal with the expectation of being favourites and trying to avoid an upset.

“You get different types of pressure and experiences in this tournament, which is why it is good for players.

“It’s a very prestigious competition. I don’t think we’ve won it since the late 1960s, but there are some big sides that have won it and some big players that have made a name for themselves by winning the Youth Cup. It is all part of your development as a footballer.”

Pashley admits that he and his staff don’t know a great deal about AFC Wimbledon, but that they will travel to the capital in confident mood, having been in good form of late.

“We’ve had a look at them from the last round but we will just approach it the same we do with every game,” he added.

“Hopefully we will get the job done in 90 minutes but it has to be settled on the night and if it needs extra time and penalties then so be it.

“We’ve got a few injury concerns ahead of the game. We travelled down yesterday (Wednesday) so we’ll have a chance to assess them.

“A few of the younger schoolboys have travelled as well just in case so it is great experience for them.”

The Clarets will be looking to bounce back from defeat to Blackpool at the weekend, which put a halt to their winning run.

“We’ve been on a good little run over the last few weeks,” said Pashley.

“We just had a little blip at the weekend when we were 2-0 up against Blackpool and lost 3-2.

“Before that we’d won six or seven in a row and we’ve been playing well. It’s been a big team effort.”