Clarke Carlisle came through 90 minutes unscathed and manager Owen Coyle made his Burnley bow in the 0-0 draw with Bohemians in Dublin.

The Clarets never hit top gear in the friendly against an energetic Bohs outfit determined to take a notable scalp.

But the big plus point was the return of centre back Carlisle, who showed in a crunching second half challenge - which earned him a yellow card - that he is ready to step up his return from a hamstring injury that has sidelined him since late December.

Burnley had Coyle, assistant Sandy Stewart and first team coach Steve Davis all on the bench for the friendly in Dublin following several absentees.

Kyle Lafferty failed to travel through illness and Stan Varga was absent for family reasons.

Elsewhere, hat-trick hero Andy Cole, David Unsworth, Steve Jones, Jay Rodriguez, Alan Mahon and Graham Alexander all sat out the game.

However, there was a first start of start of 2008 for Clarke Carlisle in defence as he made his comeback from hamstring trouble.

Joey Gudjonsson also started in an unorthodox right back role and there was a first start for on-loan Arsenal midfielder Mark Randall.

However, it was Bohemians who carved out the first goalscoring opportunity in the 13th minute with a curling free kick from 25 yards that beat Gabor Kiraly but smacked the inside of the post and bounced clear.

Stephen Jordan, starting in the left back slot, then curled a shot just wide with the Clarets only serious attempt of the half.

There was another scare for the Clarets in the 25th minute when Gabor Kiraly's sliced clearance fell to Bohemians right back Mark Rossiter, whose return was clutched gratefully under the crossbar bay the backtracking Hungarian keeper.

Kiraly was again in the right place at the right time in the 31st minute, stretching low to the right to turn aside Chris Turner's goalbound shot.

And Burnley's overworked stopper was in action again eight minutes before the break, comfortably parrying Stephen O'Donnell's long distance drive to safety.

And that was the last action of a half where Burnley passed the ball around well, without seriously troubling the Bohs.

There were no changes for the Clarets at the break.

But after an uneventful opening quarter, Coyle made a double substitution, introducing James O'Connor and Jon Harley for Gudjonsson and Elliott.

And moments later, the gaffer bounded off the bench to great applause from the travelling fans as he replaced Mark Randall.

Lafferty's shirt may have been a size or two too big for the gaffer but the 41-year-old wouldn't have minded that as he pulled on his boots for the first time!

Strike partner Ade Akinbiyi soon got involved in an altercation with Glen Cronin as the clock ticked down in an incident at odds with all that had gone before.

And as the substitutions continued, with Steve Davis getting a run out for Chris McCann, there was little in the way of goalmouth action to get excited.

But this was all about Burnley making new friends and giving several players a game that will stand them in good stead in the coming weeks.

And with those objectives met, this visit to Dublin was undoubtedly a rip-roaring success.

BURNLEY: Gabor Kiraly; Joey Gudjonsson (James O'Connor 60), Clarke Carlisle, Steven Caldwell, Stephen Jordan; Mark Randall (Owen Coyle 65); Wade Elliott (Jon Harley 60), John Spicer, Chris McCann (Steve Davis.75), Garreth O'Connor; Ade Akinbiyi.
Subs: Brian Jensen, Sandy Stewart

Booked: Carlisle, Caldwell

BOHEMIAN FC: Brian Murphy, Owen Heary Conor Powell, Kevin Hunt, Jason McGuinness, Mark Rossiter, Glen Cronin, Stephen O'Donnell, Glen Crowe, Chris Turner, Killian Brennan.
Subs: Harpal Singh, Michael McGinlay, Neale Fenn, Paddy Madden, Ryan McAvoy, Sean Byrne, Philip McDonagh, John Paul Kelly, Chris Konopka