Sean Dyche issues warning about writing off Leeds United's relegation rivals Burnley after blow
Sean Dyche has fired a strong warning about writing off Leeds United's relegation rivals Burnley in their bid to avoid the drop following Sunday's 2-0 defeat at Norwich City.
Third-bottom Burnley approached Sunday's clash at Carrow Road following Wednesday's 3-2 victory at home to Everton but suffered a 2-0 defeat to the bottom-placed Canaries as Pierre Lees-Melou and Teemu Pukki bagged a goal each.
The reverse effectively blew one of Burnley's games in hand and the Clarets are now four points behind fourth-bottom Everton on the same amount of games played and nine points behind fifth-bottom Leeds who have played two games more.
Burnley's odds for relegation significantly shortened following Sunday's defeat to the Clarets but Dyche said his side might actually be handed a favour by the vast majority of people writing his side off.
Dyche told BBC Sport: "I labelled it a huge step back after a huge step forward so the league table doesn't look hardly any different than it did before we played Everton so that was the challenge then and it's still the challenge now, we are just a game down.
"So we have got to take on the next eight games and find that bit of freedom.
"I think maybe in a strange way it becomes easier when people write you off.
"More people will write us off now, we often do get written off.
"But as I've said to the players, that can bring freedom, go and play, you will never have a better chance than in the next eight games.
"Virtually everyone will think that we are done but we don't think that."
The Clarets are back in action next Sunday with another away day at West Ham United.
Dyche's side then host Southampton the following Thursday night.