Sean Dyche delighted as Steven Defour's 'sublime' strike sees Burnley march on

28 January 2017 20:39

Burnley boss Sean Dyche labelled Steven Defour's chipped goal "sublime" as the Belgian scored in the Clarets' sixth home win on the bounce.

The 28-year-old scooped a shot over Bristol City goalkeeper Fabian Giefer from the edge of the box during the second half of a 2-0 FA Cup success after Sam Vokes had swept home his 50th Burnley goal.

It took Dyche's team into the fifth round for the first time in six years and the highlight was very much Defour's effort, which came at the end of a counter-attack the Belgium international had instigated.

"In my time here the fans have been fortunate to see some good stuff and successful football, but that was a sublime finish," said Dyche.

"If it was in the Premier League they'd be showing it a thousand times."

Defour, who has over 50 caps for his country, was seen as a significant coup when Burnley splashed out a then club-record £7.4million to lure him from Anderlecht in the summer.

However, he has been in and out of Dyche's XI and struggled to complete 90 minutes when he has been given the starting nod.

He only lasted 78 minutes here but, having provided the assist for Vokes and scored the second himself, it was enough to warrant a standing ovation from the home crowd.

"It's a long process to get to the tempo and the demands of English football, the Premier League especially," Dyche stressed.

"He's shown really good signs of a connection with his team-mates and the understanding of the differences here and what it means to be in the Premier League.

"A lot of it is the physicality and a lot of it is the mentality. We knew he had quality and he had fine moments."

Defour was not Burnley's record signing for long as Jeff Hendrick soon followed for a greater sum, and the Clarets were prepared to splash out over £10million this week when their bid for Robert Snodgrass was accepted by Hull.

Dyche was cautious about the possibility of actually landing the Scot, though, given his other admirers, and West Ham ultimately won the race for his signature on Friday.

"It was all the usual things, everyone has to agree," Dyche explained.

"I spoke to him only briefly and I think a decision was made quite quick. West Ham are a big club with strong financial power."

A trip to Turf Moor in the cup had given Bristol City the opportunity to forget about their woeful Sky Bet Championship form.

Eight successive defeats in the league had left the Robins in the bottom four and had ramped up the pressure on Lee Johnson, but the boss is confident he can turn things around.

"I heard the fans singing my name which gave me pride," Johnson said.

"It's been a horrible time for everyone but if we come through this it will make us stronger. If we take the positives into the next two league games we will be fine."

Source: PA