Burnley boss Sean Dyche talks injuries and the power of the Premier League!

For the second time in five seasons the Clarets missed out on the opportunity of reaching the quarter-finals of the competition as AFC Bournemouth prevailed at Turf Moor.

The hosts, who were beaten by Lincoln City in the fifth round in 2017, went out to goals from Sam Surridge and Junior Stanislas, who made 54 of his 99 appearances for Burnley under Dyche.

Asked if defeat at the hands of the Cherries would affect the mood in camp heading into Premier League games against Crystal Palace, West Brom and Fulham, he said: "That's impossible because it's a completely different group of players.

"The key is that the focus of the Premier League is always there. The FA Cup, in my view, doesn't reach the level of our thoughts on the Premier League.

"It's just one of them things, it's just purely a business thing. The Premier League will definitely be the viewpoint.

"It was before the game and it would've been after this game, whether we had won or we had lost. The Premier League is still the viewpoint for the season."

Dyche has always attempted to strike the right balance in a bid to remain competitive on all fronts, but the Clarets chief has always maintained that the Premier League is the club's bread and butter.

The goal, above all others, is to secure a sixth successive season in the top flight. "Being in the Premier League remains the focus for this club and I've never hidden away from that because it's such a powerful thing for so many different reasons," he said.

"The prowess, the kudos and the finances of being in the Premier League is so powerful now. It's just a common sense kind of moment when you say, 'what is the real goal?'

"For Burnley, as a club that is, not just for me, is to be in the Premier League so we can continue the progress that we've had.

"The kudos for a town like Burnley to have a Premier League club is very important. We've had a real challenge this season with injuries and game-scheduling. That's made it tougher.

"The bigger challenge is that more Premier League games are coming thick and fast and we've got to make sure that we're productive in those games as well."

While Ashley Barnes returned to action in the 1-1 draw at home to Brighton, the likes of Chris Wood, Josh Brownhill, Charlie Taylor and Robbie Brady remain sidelined.

Jack Cork also sat out the cup tie midweek after picking up a knock. They'll continue to be assessed, but Dyche says the club are having to tread even more carefully than normal.

He said: "We're waiting on a few to be fit, people like Woody, Chaz and the like. We're having to be careful, we're almost making decisions for them because they want to play.

"We're having to make decisions on the bigger picture, not just the immediate picture, so it's a bit difficult for those types of injuries.

"Robbie Brady is another one with how close he is, but how far a set back would it be if the worst was to happen? It's been tough, we're still going through that period and we're hoping it'll end soon.

"There are a few situations we're still keeping an eye on; they're big decisions, awkward decisions, but we've got to safeguard the group for the rest of the season and not just one game or two games.

"We'll debate it as a staff, along with the medical team, about who we think is right and whether they can handle a game or not.

"There are certain players that we probably could have risked and thrown in, but we've had to pull them out from more of a common sense point of view.

"They get frustrated because they want to play, but I've had to tell them that we're not putting them in yet because we need them to be almost overly sure that they're ready."