Burnley bosses delight at blend of grit and skill

Burnley displayed both silk and steel in recording a third win – and third clean sheet – in his five games at the helm so far.

Dean Marney scored what proved to be the winner five minutes before half-time against his former club, as the Clarets earned a seventh-successive win over the Tigers.

And Dyche said: “There was a good mixture over the 90 minutes between some fantastic play – using the ball efficiently and wisely – and the resilience and team belief and tactical shape to make sure we came away with a win.

“There is that balance, first half we found it – what I imagine us to be – over long periods, but you’ve got 11 others out there, and they aren’t going to allow you to do that easily as Steve didn’t.

“In the second half they threw caution to the wind, got a lot of bodies forward and I was pleased with the way – apart from five or six minutes when it got a bit weird and wonderful – that we absorbed it and could have nicked something on the break.”

It was the first time in-form Hull had failed to score at the KC Stadium so far this season, and Dyche added: “I think that’s the first time Hull haven’t scored here, and that in itself is a good thing from a defensive point of view.

“I thought our football on top of that first half was very good, and then you saw a different side to us second half.

“I think there’s good signs of what we’re trying to build here.”

Like against Leeds, the Clarets came out on the right side of a tight encounter, winning 1-0, and Dyche noted: “The Championship is an unforgiving league and the games when you win 3-0 almost take care of themselves. It’s the nip and tuck ones which are close that decide which way you’re going to go.

“We needed to build that resolve, and it’s been quite apparent with the way the players are going about their business.

“But I’m greedy as a manager, for points and wins, and we’ve had a bit of bad luck over the last couple of games with results going against us – things you can’t affect – but the performances have been good.

“And again it was a thorough performance in many ways.”

Burnley had a number of chances in the first half to make their dominance pay, and had to settle for Marney’s solitary strike.

“I think if you’re greedy, we possibly deserved to come in 2-0 up, but they had a couple of near misses second half, and we had a bit of luck with the one coming off our defender and onto the post, but we were due some fortune,” Dyche added.

It was a first away win at the second attempt under Dyche, but only a third of the season overall, and he sees no reason why more wins on the road can’t follow:

“When I was a player, it was the way I felt – it was no different away from home, you have to deal with atmospheres and a change of mentality,” Dyche said.

“At the end of the day it’s still 11 v 11, the pitches are more or less the same size, so if you focus on that and your job, it’s a powerful message to, and I thought we delivered that well.”

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