The Football League have accepted the Clarets' application to withdraw from the Pontin's League next season.

Assistant boss Dave Kevan told the club's website: "This is a welfare issue. We feel is in the best interests of our younger players.

"In our time here we have always been light on numbers and that tends to have an effect on the reserve team squad."

Kevan added: "What has been happening is that a large group of young players, many aged 16, have been playing two or three times a week.

"It's easy to forgot sometimes that youth team football is all about producing players for first team football, not a reserve team.

"The sooner they can get into a first-team environment, either on loan or with us, then it's a big asset to the player."