Burnley FC’s Sean Dyche throws down challenge to Clarets

Dyche guided Burnley to a 2-0 win over Wolves at Turf Moor in his first game in charge, and has laid down the gauntlet to repeat their efforts against Neil Warnock’s Whites.

The former Watford chief is eager to bring consistency to the club, as well as balance to a team that has scored more and paradoxically conceded more than any side in the Championship.

And he said ahead of the visit of Leeds: “I’ve immediately thrown down the challenge again.

“It’s relentless in the Championship, but everyone knows that.

“So as much as we were delighted and I’m really pleased with the players’ application against Wolves, the next one comes around pretty quick, so I said we enjoy it, we relax, we recover and then we’re ready to go again.”

As Dyche looks to impress his blueprint on the club and build that rapport with the players and fans, another win would do his cause no harm whatsoever.

He said: “The manager is the front of the club – it’s not about me, it’s the club.

“The quicker we can get the join between the realities of what’s going on here and the fans playing their part in that, that’s marvellous.

“Wins accelerate that, so we’ll be looking for another one against Leeds.”

He will make late checks on the fitness of Ross Wallace, forced off with a blow to the jaw on Saturday, and hamstring victims Chris McCann and Marvin Bartley.

Dyche said: “I think Ross is okay. I’ve spoken to him and he seems fine.

“We’ve got to monitor him to make sure it’s nothing untoward, which is important, but the medical team will do that.

“Chris had a minor muscle problem. We’re hopeful he’ll come through this weekend.

“Chris and Marvin were were touch and go and they didn’t quite make it.

“We had to change the midfield, which is another fantastic thing because it’s really important, and I’ve expressed to the players that whoever walks into the team there’s no doubt we are a unit and a group.

“Whoever has to play in that group there’s no doubts, and the lads never blinked, they just got on with it.

“David Edgar came in to midfield and did well, but there were a few good performances. We had a feel for it and thought he might do okay in there.

“To come in and deliver a good performance is good for him and good for the team, and the team’s the main thing.

“It’s about working out the players and finding what they’re about and what we can get out of them.

“I’m always a big believer in looking at what we have got and what we haven’t.

“You’ve got to be aware of what you haven’t of course to improve.”

What he does have is the top-scorer in the country in 19-goal Charlie Austin, and Dyche said: “I think anyone scoring gives the crowd a big lift, it certainly gives the team a big lift, whoever scores.

“He’s a work in progress is Charlie, there’s a lot more to come from his general game, but of course we’re absolutely not going to take away his goalscoring prowess.”