Dyche - 'We're still fighting' after Hammers win

The Clarets claimed a big three points with a dominant display, with goals from Chris Wood and Dwight McNeil - his first for the club.

Results went against Burnley on Saturday, but the win put them firmly back in the battle for survival, and Dyche said: “It was a pleasing result, the main thing was the delivery of the performance, recently we’ve found ourselves back to a performance level, but the details have been killing us.

“We has a blip the other day when we were not good enough, for varying reasons, but I went back to a familiar shape, made some changes, which are always a risk, but they delivered a performance, and were certainly worthy of winning the game.”

Burnley has lost nine of their previous 11 outings, but Dyche - who made five changes from the 5-1 Boxing Day defeat to Everton, retained his faith in his players: “We’ve never lacked confidence in what we do here, or the players.

“There’s always been a sprit here, a fight in the cause. The cause is different this year, last year it was ‘can we do what nobody thought we could’. This year it’s people writing us off ‘can you do it again’ in a different format.

“We’re still here, we’re still fighting, we’re ready for the challenge, and we want the challenge of the Premier League to continue.

“That focus has been in and out, now it’s about bringing it into full focus for every game.”

Burnley produced their best display of the season, creating a raft of chances, and could and should have won by more, and Dyche admitted: “That was the pleasing thing, my belief is how you can effect the opposition as many ways as possible, and we did that. We did from a defensive base, so they couldn’t get a foothold, we did from a great energy, will and desire, but also with some real quality.

“The first goal was seven passes, mixed play, clip into the box, great play round the corner and a great finish.

“We’ve seen that many times, and we got to remind ourselves of that, that belief - it wasn’t easy walking out there today, but I must give the fans credit.

“In a situation like this, after such a big thing last season, they can soon start asking questions, and that can go into the crowd with the noise.

“There might be questions, but there was a great noise, a positive noise, and it gives the players a start point, and they delivered on the back of that.

“That will be important going forward.

“I’m never too bothered (fans singing Sean Dyche’s Claret and Blue army), I think there’s an understanding from most, the journey we’ve been on.

“This is probably my second spell where it’s been super tough, folk round here don’t forget easily.

“But this is one game and we know were going to need a lot more of them. We still are where we are, but that is a real show of what we do when we’re on our performance levels, so we have to build on that.”

The table looks better as a result, and Dyche added: “You don’t stare at it every day. The whistle at the end of the season is when it counts.

“I’m not obsessed with it. I’m more obsessed with performance levels. Over a season that should pay you back.

“Today was a strong sign of how we can perform, and the feel of it, a real intention to the performance, something we’ve shown many times.

“We have that relentlessness, and that was on show.”

Asked where that sort of performance has been all season, Dyche countered: “Its not as easy as that. A lot going on, a lot to make sense of. A change. Players under the radar for long. Summer changes all that, they’re suddenly viewed differently, their lives outside football change. They are human. Maturing, growing, more recognised Premier League players. Theres a little price to pay, you have to keep your standards high, keep that edge, that desire, that keeps you there. A bit of confusion early in the season, looking at the table thinking ‘that’s not where we want to be’, but I think they keep popping up with these performances when needed. Now it’s about finding that consistency.

“We have to deliver week in, week out.

“This win is to be enjoyed, but make sense of it, put it to bed and we get on with the next one.”