‘Really happy with the way we kept going’ - Sean Dyche

And he tempered any disappointment at failing to beat the Cherries at Turf Moor by looking at the big picture, with Burnley extending their lead at the top of the Championship to two points, after an 11th league game without defeat.

Dyche believed some of the Clarets’ play in the first half was up their with their best of the season so far, but they just couldn’t make the breakthrough.

South African Tokelo Rantie put the visitors ahead with a bolt from the blue.

But Danny Ings’ 14th goal of the season levelled matters against his former club.

Dyche said: “The first half was up among our best performances this season.

“Second half the game flattened out for many other reasons, not from our play. It was just things happened, decisions.

“I thought in the first half we were absolutely excellent, opened them up on many occasions and couldn’t get that final bit of quality to score.

“But some of the passing and movement was fantastic in the first half.

“The second half then got stopped a number of times, a mixture of slowing down the play and refereeing decisions and it didn’t really build in momentum until late on when we were really happy with the way we kept going and to force a point in the end.”

Burnley came from behind to earn a point at Millwall, and they had to do it again: “When you’re on your game and you win 3-0 those games take care of themselves, it’s the nip and tuck ones.”

“I didn’t think it was that with the performance level, but you’ve still got to get something from the game and you want to win it.

“There is a lot of character.

“The glue that holds the performance together isn’t just the technical and the tactical, or the physical, it’s the mental approach and I think our players are showing a real resolve and a belief in each other.

“That showed at the end in keep going and going. We’ve put into them ‘be relentless’. It’s a big part of what we’re looking to achieve as a group.

“You can’t win every game but you can certainly try and try for 98 minutes, or whatever the referee plays.

“That’s a mental attitude that we’ve helped the players to align with.

“There’s an honesty within the group.

“They feel they could have won and had the chances to win, so I think it was more frustration I suppose than disappointment.

“They’re well aware of what they’re doing and what they’re achieving, I’m sure of that.”

Tom Heaton had no chance with Rantie’s goal, but was otherwise unemployed, and Dyche added: “Tom’s hardly had a save to make. I think he had one in the first half which was a cameras one and a good take from one that was slung in from 35 yards. I think overall he hasn’t had another one to make.

“They’re good signs from us in what we’re hoping to achieve defensively.

“In attack we cut them open in the first half, but in the second half they banked in a bit more so made it more difficult.

“But overall I’m really pleased with the players’ performance again.”

Ings looked like he should have had a penalty, and Elliott Ward a red card, following a shove with the Clarets striker clear on goal, and Dyche admitted: “I haven’t seen it again. It looks a close one. It’s definitely a foul.

“I think it was given is a corner, but it’s definitely a foul whichever way you look at it.

“The referee has a hard decision to make. That one didn’t go our way and we had one at Millwall that didn’t go our way last week, so we’re owed two on top of the nine last year at some point!”

But he hailed Bournemouth old boys Ings and Sam Vokes: “I thought Vokesy was outstanding.

“Ingsy was quiet but he’s got an uncanny knack of scoring a goal – and what a great knack to have!

“But I thought Vokesey was absolutely superb.

“I thought he was unplayable in the first half, and I think he’s been like that a number of times.”

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