EVERY derby defeat hurts, but perhaps this one more than most for the Rovers fans.

With two divisions separating the two sides, this was their chance to prove they were still a match for the near neighbours.

But for all their effort, the gulf between Premier League and League One was at times clear to see, as Rovers struggled to create too many clear-cut opportunities.

However, for Rovers, and manager Tony Mowbray in particular, the brief for this season will come over the 46 game League One campaign. That is how Rovers will be judged.

This game meant plenty to the 11,000 fans in the home end, but the overall picture is much bigger, as evidenced by the five changes which Mowbray made.

Rovers huffed and puffed, but were unable to break through a resilient Burnley side who themselves made eight changes from their Premier League defeat to West Brom last weekend.

A fast-paced and competitive start saw neither side really threaten the opposition goal, with the first shot on target not coming until midway through the opening period.

Up until that point Rovers were holding their own, but as the half wore on Burnley started to play with more of an urgency which the hosts struggled to match.

David Raya made a flying save to deny Ashley Barnes’ 18-yarder in the 22nd minute, but five minutes later he was beaten.

Rovers backed off Robbie Brady and giving the winger the chance to cut in on his left foot proved fatal, as the Ireland international found the untracked run of Jack Cork who nodded beyond Raya.

That was the signal for Burnley to go and assume control of the contest, with Rovers becoming over-run in the middle of the park.

That prompted a pitch invasion from a fan in the Riverside Stand who grabbed Ashley Westwood by the throat. He was dragged off and escorted away, along with a secondary pitch invader, while a flare went off in the away end.

It could have got ugly, but scenes did not get any more unsavoury than that.

Rovers needed half-time as they were struggling to get a foothold in the game. It looked like they had escaped with just a one goal deficit at the break as Brady and Wood went close for the visitors.

But three minutes in to the six added on, Burnley got the second goal which their pressure warranted.

Brady, provider for the first, came up with it, firing beyond Raya from inside the six yard box.

Rovers did muster an effort at goal before the break, with Charlie Mulgrew’s free-kick landing on the roof of the net moments before the half-time whistle.

Needing a way back in to the match, boss Mowbray turned to his bench, sending on Elliott Bennett and Craig Conway for Liam Feeney and Ben Gladwin.

He turned to Dominic Samuel at the midway point of the second half, as Rovers again continued to struggle to break Burnley down.

The lively Harry Chapman apart, it was a fairly comfortable evening for Burnley’s changed defence, while at the other end, Chris Wood should have done better with a header from Charlie Taylor’s cross.

The closest Rovers came to reducing the arrears came 15 minutes from time when Mulgrew’s free-kick beat everyone, but drifted just past the far post, with goalkeeper Pope rooted to the spot.

Rovers did have the ball in the net with 10 minutes to go, only to see it disallowed as Samuel was adjudged offside. Pope dropped Paul Caddis’ cross at the feet of Conway who turned it goalwards where Samuel instinctively turned it in from inside the six yard box. But the frontman was comfortably offside.

At the other end, £15m man Wood was desperate for a debut goal and he wasted a great chance just before the final whistle, blazing over from the edge of the box.

Before full time, substitute Bennett will have been disappointed not to test Pope with his effort from the edge of the box which he dragged wide.

But in the end it was too little too late for the hosts.