Turf luck the goal for Sean
Today, 2.30pm
CHRIS BEECH IT was the FA Cup that gave Sean Dyche his 15 minutes of fame as a player.
But while the Burnley boss still pines for the days when a May day at Wembley was the crowning glory of the season, he insists that the Clarets’ Premier League future must dominate his plans.
Burnley face Fulham today with a home tie against Bournemouth or Crawley up for grabs – and Dyche has never taken his team beyond that stage in eight years at Turf Moor.
He did reach the semifinals as Chesterfield captain 24 years ago, scoring in a 3-3 draw with Middlesbrough and only being denied a trip to Wembley by referee David Elleray’s failure to spot that Jonathan Howard’s shot had crossed the line after coming down off the crossbar.
But Dyche’s priorities remain the same, despite a £200million takeover of his club by ALK Capital being completed last month.
Dyche said: “We have always taken the Cup seriously and whatever team we put out will be one that I feel is good enough to win the tie.
“But the Premier League has got a lot of kudos around the world and is important not just for the club, but for the town of Burnley itself.
“I grew up in the era when FA Cup Final day started first thing in the morning, when you had a build up that told you about the history of it all.
“That has softened slightly because of how the Premier League has grown.
“But it’s not easy to roll out a cup-winning team every year, believe me.
“You could have the best team in the world – and you still won’t be guaranteed to win it.
“But there is still something special about the FA Cup - that’s why everybody loves it.”