Turf Moor announces Sean Dyche as new Burnley FC manager

The statement reads: “Dyche, seen as one of football’s up-coming and progressive young managers, has signed a two-and-a-half year-contract at Turf Moor and will work with the former Nottingham Forest pair of Ian Woan and Tony Loughlan as his senior coaching team.”

Dyche arrives at Turf Moor after making an impressive start to his coaching and managerial career at Watford and more recently within the England under-21 set-up.

The 41-year-old, who made more than 500 club appearances in a 17-year playing career, coached at youth and senior level at Vicarage Road before becoming first-team manager in June, 2011.

After making the step up from his role as assistant to Malky Mackay, Dyche took charge of his first competitive game at Turf Moor as the Hornets drew 2-2 with Burnley on the opening day of last season.

Despite the departure of a number of top players and working with one of the smallest budgets in the division, he went on to lead the Hornets to 11th-place in the Championship – their highest finish and highest points total since 2008, the year following the club’s relegation from the Premier League.

Dyche’s Watford side took four points off Burnley with a win at Vicarage Road at the start of March kicking off a run of six wins, six draws and just one defeat before the end of the season.

Despite that record he lost his job last summer when Watford were taken over by new Italian owners who appointed former Italy international Gianfranco Zola as manager.

Since then, Dyche has worked with the England under-21 side, helping them reach the finals of the 2013 European Championships as part of the staff put together by Stuart Pearce – a former playing colleague at Nottingham Forest where he started his career.

After leaving Forest to join Chesterfield in 1990, the defender went on to make 269 for the Spireites, captaining the club and scoring in their FA Cup semi-final against Middlesbrough in 1997 when Clarets’ goalkeeping coach Billy Mercer was also in the Chesterfield side.

Dyche also helped the Derbyshire club to promotion in 1995 and went on to win future promotions as a player at Bristol City and Millwall – both clubs going up to the Championship – before signing for Watford in 2002.

The Kettering-born centre-back played 78 games for the Hornets and captained them for a season before moving to Northampton Town in 2005, where he enjoyed another promotion 12 months later.

After retiring in 2007, Dyche then started his coaching career with Watford’s youth team and was rewarded for his impressive work in the Academy by a rapid promotion to the senior ranks and the start of a managerial career which will now hopefully flourish further at Turf Moor.

Dyche worked with former Forest winger Woan as his assistant at Vicarage Road and the 44-year-old will fill the same role with the Clarets, with ex-Sunderland coach and Ipswich Town number two Loughlan, 42, appointed as first-team coach.

We’ll have more on the Clarets’ new appointment over coming days