A young Dragons' second string slumped to a disappointing 4-1 defeat when Burnley visited a cold Plaskynaston Lane.

The damage was done in the opening forty-five minutes during which time the Clarets raced into a deserved three-nil lead. But after the break, despite conceding an early fourth goal, the Dragons suddenly started to breathe some fire and can consider themselves somewhat unfortunate not to pull more than the solitary goal back.

Snow started to fall just as kick-off time approached and with the conditions behind them the visitors dominated the opening stages of the game, and gave on-loan keeper Ryan Harrison several opportunities to demonstrate a sound handling technique. Most of what he had to do early on was of a routine nature but he did have to make one smart save low down to his right after a shot took a wicked deflection.

The opening goal arrived on 19 minutes when Gareth Evans was adjudged to have pulled back a visiting forward just outside the penalty area in a central position and Joe Booth gave Harrison no chance by curling the resulting free kick into the top right-hand corner of the net.

Jamie Reed did have a shot blocked - with the rebound striking him and going goalwards only to be cleared from near the goal line - as the Dragons made a rare venture forward on 26 minutes but a minute later Marc Pugh tapped in a second after good work down the left by Paul Scott.

A rare mistake by Matthew Done then presented Burnley with a third goal as the winger played an inside pass blind and Cayne Hanley smashed a rising right-foot drive past Harrison from just inside the right-hand corner of the penalty area.

Game over! And there was worse to come for the Dragons just four minutes after the restart when Chris McCann met an in-swinging Scott free kick to head past Harrison from close range.

It was pretty depressing stuff at this stage but suddenly the Dragons woke up and the remaining forty minutes or so provided some superb entertainment for the faithful that had braved the wintry conditions. It was real end-to-end stuff with the Dragons showing real commitment to finally have the Clarets on the back foot for spells in what remained of the encounter.

This spirit was epitomised by the Dragons' goal on 56 minutes, when Reed showed good willingness down the right. His low cross saw Marc Williams put a defender and the keeper under pressure and although the striker couldn't get a touch to the ball himself he did enough to put his two opponents off and the ball found its way to Done who made no mistake at the far post.

Soon afterwards Mark Harris made three crunching tackles, one straight after the other, before setting up Reed down the right-hand channel. The striker, who has enjoyed a prolific season in the Football League Youth Alliance, had his fair share of luck when an intended pass inside ricocheted back to him but he then unlucky when his angled drive beat Crossley in the Clarets' goal but thumped against the inside of the far post and came out.

Crossley then showed alertness to race off his line to smother another Reed effort after a slip by a Burnley defender, and Mike Williams saw a looping header saved from a Simon Spender free kick.

Burnley did, admittedly, have chances to increase their lead as well but it was just a shame that the second half performance wasn't preceded by a similar one in the opening forty-five minutes.

Even the Clarets' boss Mark Yates admitted that the Dragons had tested his side in the second half, saying: "Wrexham came back with a bit more fire in themselves and after the fourth goal it was a lot more equal." That it was! It's just a shame that it took until 4-0 down for it to happen!

Wrexham: Ryan Harrison, Mark Harris, Mike Williams, Simon Spender, Gareth Evans, Levi Mackin (Graham Roche 84), Kieran Quinn, Chris Evans, Marc Williams, Jamie Reed, Matthew Done.