Dyche points to penalty decisions after draw with Birmingham

The Clarets went behind to a goal from Jon Toral, before Michael Keane headed his first Burnley goal.

Paul Caddis put the Blues back in front from the spot after Clayton Donaldson was judged to have been brought down by Tendayi Darikwa, but substitute Matt Taylor rescued a point with an unstoppable free kick.

Dyche said: “I thought it was a dominant performance, even first half there was a flatness to our performance but we dominated the ball, went one down to a knock down the pitch, didn’t head it and it dropped perfectly for their lad - it was a good finish to be fair.

“To be honest, the whole game would have been considerably different on a decision, unfortunately, I don’t like to talk about them, but when it’s that blatant, on Jutkiewicz, it’s unfathomable to have someone pulled down...

“I was a defender, the defender is done and he’s panicked and pulled him down. It’s not only a penalty, but he goes off the pitch by the nature of the rules.

“We got on with it, as we do, responded twice, as we tend to do.

“The second half was better, much more energy, more fluency and we created enough chances to win the game.

“Then you have the other contentious penalty where their lad runs in an unnatural manner and stands on our lad’s toes, and goes down.

“Two big decisions went against us.”

Burnley were patient, but laboured in their approach play in the first period, but much improved after the break, and Dyche admitted: “I wasn’t disappointed at half-time, but it just wasn’t what we want it to be, it was too safe, it was too methodical, and sometimes that happens when a team comes and drops off.

“You need to show patience and shift the ball quicker, which we didn’t do.

“Second half we did, there was more energy to the performance, more mixed movement, and I thought we were effective.

“We certainly did enough to win the game.

“We didn’t have to win, there’s no rules say you ‘re going to win, you have to work every time you play.

“We’ve laid down a good mental marker because we’ve come from behind three times, so there’s no problem with that, the structure is good, the energy is good, it’s just those defining moments we need to tidy up.

“We had enough chances and enough of the ball, and enough dominant moments to win the match, just sometimes things go against you.

“In my opinion it was a mistake for the penalty, we can’t do anything about that one, a mistake for the first goal, and even then it lands perfectly for them.

“Credit to Gary, he’s got them off and running, he’s come here and looked to absorb the game and got something from it.

“We know we’re a work in progress, we’ve got to adapt the group, reflex it, rethink it, and there’s good signs, particularly second half.”

Keane and Taylor both scored their first goals for the club, and Dyche noted: “Keano’s a young man learning, the nuts and bolts of his game he still has to pick up, but he’s a good player, there’s no two ways about it.

“And Matty Taylor delivered a fantastic free kick. You’d do well to see one better. We know he has that in his locker, we wanted him to deliver when he got on and he did.”