REACTION: Familiar Faces Please Dyche

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Boss wants cutting edge sharpened for start of the real thing

2021-08-07T16:34:13.832Z

REACTION: Familiar Faces Please Dyche

Boss wants cutting edge sharpened for start of the real thing

2021-08-07T16:34:13.832Z

Boss wants cutting edge sharpened for start of the real thing

Sean Dyche greeted the return of old and new of a day of comebacks at Turf Moor.

Goalkeeper Nick Pope was back for the first time since May as the Clarets’ number-one proved his well-being following knee surgery.

Striker Chris Wood also had his first pre-season outing following international duty with New Zealand’s Olympic squad.

And the returning fans who had the chance to fine-tune their voices ahead of next Saturday’s Premier League opener also saw Aaron Lennon back in a Burnley shirt as the winger trains with the Clarets’ squad.

“Popey’s had a good pre-season in the sense of coming back from his injury,” said Dyche, who saw his Burnley side lose 2-0 to La Liga outfit Cadiz to taste defeat for the first time in their pre-season campaign.

“It’s good for him to get his 90 minutes and good to see the fans back in as well.

“It’s just getting that feel back, getting people back in the stadium. It’s a start point, which is good.

“We were just giving him (Wood) a taster today because he’s played plenty of football. I think he’s got the highest minutes in pre-season from playing over there so it was really to get him back involved.

“Vyds has still got to get fit and sharp because he came back late and there’s another game on Tuesday that we will use wisely and make sure some of these players top up.”

The Clarets have one more training-ground game to complete their preparations before next Saturday’s visit of Brighton.

DYCHE: FANS CAN PLAY THEIR PART - Image 2

Whether that involves Lennon remains to be seen. But the former England international is currently back at Turf Moor following a year playing in Turkey’s top-flight with Kayeserispor.

“We are actively looking for players,” added Dyche.

“He’s someone we know well, who has done a good job for us in the past.

“He’s someone I didn’t want to go in the first place. There’s a lot to that story, which everyone knows. He played quite a bit of football last year and is looking very fit and well.

“He asked me if he could come back in and train and at the minute it’s just that and we’ll see where that leads to.”

Matt Lowton missed the loss to Cadiz due to Covid restrictions around a close contact but Dyche was able to give game time to plenty of his squad.

The Clarets should have led but were then sunk by goals from the ‘Pirates’ either side of the break.

Dyche admitted his men weren’t quite at their best but remains happy with the progress heading towards the real thing.

PL PREVIEW: BURNLEY V BRIGHTON - Image 2

“There are some things to be pleased with but it’s just a little bit of a damb squib after such a strong pre-season,” the Burnley boss told Clarets Plus.

“We were slightly off it but the pre-season has been very strong.

“We look at the whole pre-season and it’s been a good pre-season overall.

“I was a bit disappointed with the goals but there were a lot of good performances in the general scheme of it.

“We created a lot of chances and that’s something we’ve got to tidy up because we’ve done that in pre-season. We haven’t scored as many but we’ve created a lot of chances.

“There was a lot of decent play, just trying to be a little bit more effective. But it’s that cutting edge.

“That’s where it’s at but that’s what pre-season is for, getting everyone fit and sharp and hopefully adding that.”