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Burnley travel to Middlesbrough tomorrow but this visit will be different than the last three in league and cup with the rather odd Aitor Karanka no longer at the Riverside where Steve Agnew has stepped up to take charge.

He’s taken over a side that was doing well enough defensively but not scoring nearly enough goals so it was something of a surprise when they were involved in a six goal game in midweek at Hull which they came out of with a 4-2 defeat.

Agnew said of it: “Maybe we got caught up in the emotions of taking the lead. When I look back at it I think we got caught out in terms of balance, and our shape when we lost the ball. The mental side and game management comes into it. We have to carry out our duties on the pitch. We’ll learn from it and we’ll be ready to improve tomorrow.

“The dressing room was very disappointed after the game on Wednesday and communication goes a long way to putting the players in a positive frame of mind. The players understand the frustrations and disappointment, and spirits are good.”

Agnew was at the Turf on Tuesday along with Joe Jordan. “Burnley have had a fantastic season,” he said. “Sean Dyche and his staff have done a tremendous job. They’re a difficult team to play against and they’ll make it hard for us.

“The majority of their points have been at home, but they are hardworking and a difficult team to break down. We had to fight hard to get points from Burnley last season and we know exactly what kind of game we’re going into. There’s no targets other than the next game. We’re looking no further ahead.”

Sean Dyche was speaking about the Burnley supporters ahead of our trip to Teesside. He said: “Our fans understand the complexities of the Premier League. You get some awkward runs come out of nothing.

“Tuesday was an important game and I think especially for the fans because there was a little bit of anxiousness in the air. I get that, but equally they got behind the team and that helped. It’s an important factor to keep that connection between the team and the fans and we’ll need that again tomorrow. They know they have a manager and a team who will give them everything and they have to remember that by keeping with us.

“We want to take care of business ourselves and, as a Burnley fan, I think you would be really, really happy with what you are seeing, particularly at home. To get ten wins at home in the Premier League is a very difficult task. Now, for our band of travelling fans, who have been amazing in standing by us, we want to give them something as well.

“It’s tough, and it’s an anomaly that we want to address and the next one is Middlesbrough, so we look forward to the challenge.”

We take on a Middlesbrough team currently 19th in the table but their approach was much different at Hull. “Steve has changed things a little bit and maybe they will throw the kitchen sink at us,” Dyche added.

“Maybe they will remain cautious. It’s a tough one to call, but what we know we have to do is go there and deliver another performance. The win (against Stoke) has given us a little bit more freedom to go into these last seven games, but let’s not forget that home or away, the fact is we have a record number of points from our three seasons in the Premier League with seven games to go.

“That shows real growth and progression, and that’s key. As a manager, I know we will be judged on our divisional status, but we are going forward year on year and I am very proud of that. Now let’s step on again and let’s make sure we secure what we all want.”

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