RYAN Shawcross, the man dropped after the first game of last season, enjoyed the honour of opening the scoring in the first game of this.
And his 19th minute header was followed by a similar effort - this time by Burnley's makeshift centre half Stephen Jordan - as Stoke established a two-goal lead they were never to surrender against Premier League new boys Burnley.
The Clarets never lost heart and Stoke, despite never being at their most fluent, were forced to work diligently to prevent any mishaps en route to a successful start to the 2009/10 campaign.
And it was a victory appreciated by another vociferous following as Stoke's support also warmed up nicely for the season ahead.
Stoke kicked off their campaign with Rory Delap and Ricardo Fuller winning the nod in the only two contested areas of the field to leave Glenn Whelan and Dave Kitson starting on the bench.
Greeted by a predictably blood curdling atmosphere, the top-flight newcomers showed few early nerves and threatened first when Andy Wilkinson superbly blocked Robbie Blake's first-time sweep from a low right-wing ball.
Stoke, with James Beattie looking livelier than at any time during pre-season, just lacked the final ball in trying to conjure anything similar at the other end during the opening 15 minutes.
The exchanges remained earnest, if a little scrappy, and it was that man Blake glancing goalwards again when he drove first time from way out to send Thomas Sorensen tumbling low to his left to save with relative ease.
But the breakthrough was to come in front of an ecstatic Boothen End in the 19th minute when Burnley paid dearly for slack marking from a free-kick conceded when Tyrone Mears tripped the fleet-footed Fuller.
Liam Lawrence curled towards the edge of the six-yard box from out on the Stoke left and Shawcross, drifting between two defenders, planted a pretty simple header across the keeper and inside his right-hand post.
The visitors took time to re-gather their composure before showing their pace on the break when Wade Elliott bisected Stoke's defensive lines and crossing too weakly to trouble Sorensen.
The Clarets then saw Blake plonk a free-kick straight into Sorensen's waiting grasp and Graham Alexander spurn a possible shooting chance as Stoke's lead remained in seemingly safe hands.
The visitors looked far more threatening shortly after, however, when Martin Paterson beat Danny Higginbotham to cross to the near post for
Wade Elliott to be confounded by Rory Delap's vital presence.
Stoke responded in the 32nd minute when Fuller volleyed a pass to release
Matthew Etherington down the right channel, but after cutting inside onto his favoured left his shot was deflected wide of goal.
The resulting throw out on the left was launched into the mix by you-know-who and Jordan, having outjumped Beattie, inadvertently glanced his head past Brian Jensen and into his own goal for 2-0.
Cries of "we are top of the league" rang out and, given the other scores, the home fans were spot on.
Beattie was then booked for clattering into Blake who, after clambering to his feet, drilled the subsequent free-kick a couple of yards over.
Wilkinson was lucky to escape a penalty when his upper arm visibly prodded the ball after he was caught unawares by Sorensen ducking out of a high cross curling nastily in the air.
Events at the other end were even more dramatic shortly after, however, when Fuller beat the keeper to the punch to head another high ball goalwards, but Clark Carlisle made great ground to clear from under his own crossbar.
Half-time: Stoke 2, Burnley 0.
Sorensen was soon ushering Elliott's piledriver just over his bar as the visitors, to their credit, again began perkily in the summer sunshine.
But then Beattie skewed wide on the stretch at the far post with one effort, and was then outjumped by Carlisle when homing in on another, as Stoke retorted promisingly upfield.
Stoke suffered a jittery little spell just before the hour when Faye was lucky to escape a second yellow for a needless lunge wide on City's right - and then the subsequent free-kick saw shots from both Blake and Grant McCann blocked by red and white-shirted bodies.
Sorensen's first real save of the season came in the 62nd minute when he dived full-length to his left and did well to hold onto Blake's firm effort from a short free-kick 25 yards from goal.
Paterson then blazed well over from distance at the end of a sequence in which the home crowd registered their displeasure and frustration at Stoke's failure to retain greater possession.
And City were back-tracking again soon afterwards when Steven Fletcher went marauding down the left channel before unleashing a shot that was deflected wide before it could test Sorensen at his near post.
The game was opening up more than Stoke might prefer at 2-0 up and Jordan's trip on the free-flowing Etherington left Beattie popping one disappointingly over from just outside the Burnley box.
Dave Kitson replaced Beattie to warm applause on his return to the club - and he was soon shouting vainly for a pass as Fuller twisted and turned before trickling his shot at Jensen.
Fuller was equally wasteful in the 76th minute when scooping over after an otherwise magnificent break on the Burnley goal.
Kitson stamped his class on proceedings 11 minutes from time when beating the offside trap to gather Higginbotham's chip down the left channel before losing his man and smacking his shot against the top of the bar from a tight angle.
Burnley continued to enjoy plenty of ball as Stoke invariably threw 10 men behind it to protect that two-goal buffer in the final few minutes.
And there was even the prospect of a third when sub Richard Cresswell rolled one across goal and just past the far post deep into stoppage time.
Stoke 2, Burnley 0.
Shawcross (19), Jordan (og,33)
TEAMS
Stoke: 29 Sorensen, 28 Wilkinson, 3 Higginbotham, 17 Shawcross, 25 Ab Faye, 7 Lawrence, 18 Whitehead, 24 Delap, 26 Etherington (6 Whelan,76), 9 Beattie (12 Kitson,67), 20 Fuller (16 Cresswell,88). Subs: 1 Simonsen, 2 Griffin, 5 Cort, 14 Pugh.
Burnley: 12 Jensen, 14 mers, 3 Kalvenes, 5 Carlisle, 23 Jordan, 20 Blake (33 Eagles,72), 2 Alexander (30 Thompson,81), 16 McCann, 11 Elliott, 9 Fletcher, 10 Paterson (32 Guerro,72). Subs: 1 Penny, 7 McDonald, 8 Gudjonsson, 17 Eckersley.
Referee: S Bennett (Kent).
Att: 27,385.
Bookings: Stoke - Beattie (foul,36), Faye (foul,53). Burnley - Alexander (dissent,57), Jordan (foul,66).
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