Sean Dyche hails effort as Burnley respond to relegation
The Clarets could have given their fans the perfect send-off had they made a rampant 25-minute opening count with goals, but the story of the season again unfolded as Danny Ings, Scott Arfield and David Jones all missed good chances.
Despite their failure to win, Dyche was proud of how his side bounced back from last week’s blow.
Did you know? Turf Moor is the lowest scoring stadium in the Premier League this season. Fans have seen just 35 goals (Opta).
“I am really proud of the players because it was a big knock last week,” he said.
“Don’t forget the outside thoughts on that all season have been ’no chance’. Ours weren’t so it is a big thing to take when it doesn’t go your way.
“It’s a lot to take in, but to come out of that, make sense of it and deliver that performance I am very pleased with my players for that.
“The tactical side of the game has been pretty solid throughout the season, no matter what shape we have come across during the season or what the opposition have offered we have taken every game on, home and away.
Part of the reason Ings, who was enjoying a Turf Moor swansong, did not manage to find the scoresheet was the form of his England U21 team-mate Jack Butland who made a string of first-half saves.
Butland has been handed the gloves in Stoke’s last three games and has impressed boss Mark Hughes.
“In the last three games I have given him I think he has got better in each game he has played,” the Potters manager said. “He made a couple of outstanding saves in the first half which kept us in the game at key moments.
“That’s when you know you have got a good keeper, when you know you aren’t playing particularly well at stages in the game you need him to stand up and keep you in the game and that’s what Jack did.
Heaton, Trippier, Duff, Shackell, Mee, Boyd, Arfield, Jones (Ulvestad 88), Taylor (Kightly 65), Ings, Barnes (Vokes 83).
Butland, Cameron, Shawcross, Muniesa, Pieters, N’Zonzi, Whelan, Walters (Odemwingie 59), Adam (Sidwell 83), Arnautovic (Crouch 69), Diouf
Michael Oliver
