Dyche bemoans lack of cutting edge

Burnley lacked cohesion going forward, and struggled to work Jak Alnwick in the home goal, and Dyche admitted: “I thought it was a good performance from Port Vale, ours was good with the ball, we kept it a lot, but didn’t really have the bite we normally show, particularly in the top third of the pitch.

“I thought defensively they were excellent, our two centre halves were outstanding, limited them to very little, but they got a goal which is in, but I must say, the referee gives a throw in and then somehow it’s a goal.

“The linesman didn’t give it, the referee did, but that’s by the by, right at the death we had a reaction to them scoring , but you have to react when it’s 0-0.”

He added: “I saw plenty of good habits with the ball, but not the cutting edge and bite we normally have, and they’re the things we have to correct. We had that at Leeds, but these games have a different kind of atmosphere, it’s important we remember what we’re about, do what we do best, and there were signs of that, but not enough in the top third.”

And he was typically tight-lipped over the Henri Lansbury saga, with the Nottingham Forest midfielder on the bench for Dougie Freedman’s side against Walsall, an unused substitute after Monday’s ‘is he, isn’t he’ scenario.

Dyche merely said: “The latest is we’re looking in the market to bring players in.”