AT the beginning of a long tour it is important to hit the right note early on and to set the tone for what may lie ahead.

It’s a truism that usually sits better at the start of a cricket tour but it can equally be applied to Burnley’s trip to Hull City on Saturday.

After last week’s shock FA Cup exit at the hands of Lincoln City the Clarets will go 42 days without the familiar home comforts of Turf Moor.

It’s an unusual run and while manager and players have been keen to embrace it - Sean Dyche said it came at the perfect time last week - it could also have been a daunting month and a bit.

Countless column inches have been devoted to the sharp contrast between Burnley’s home and away form this season.

But while performances have improved on the road the hard facts, before yesterday, were that Burnley had taken one point from 11 Premier League away games.

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They had done the hard work in building up a 10 point cushion on the bottom three with a third of the season to go, but successive trips to Hull, Swansea, Liverpool and Sunderland could have put that buffer to the test.

So to begin with a point at the KCOM Stadium, a ground that has been something of a lucky charm for the Clarets in recent years, was as valuable for what lies ahead as it was for maintaining a gap to the bottom three.

On the occasion of their 50th Premier League away game Burnley would have taken avoiding defeat for a 12th time.

It could have been more than a point, but in the end, given they fell behind with less than 20 minutes to go, it was another impressive display of character.

In a game high on desire but low on match-changing quality, it was the Clarets who had looked the more convincing side for most of the afternoon.

They were keen to use Andre Gray’s pace over the top against Harry Maguire and Andrea Ranocchia and it was a tactic that created the best opening before the goals arrived, when last season’s leading scorer darted on to Ashley Westwood’s smart pass but fired across goal and wide.

That was on the hour mark and until then clear chances had been at a premium. George Boyd, with a shot, and Ben Mee, with a header, had tested Eldin Jakupovic in the first half, while Ashley Barnes had driven a half-volley from range narrowly wide early in the second period.

For the home side Kamil Grosicki was the chief threat, as fate had intended him to be. The Poland winger jetted in to sign for the Clarets on deadline day in the summer only for the move to collapse. In January he rocked up at Hull instead.

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In the first half he almost capitalised on a mix-up between Tom Heaton and his central defenders but lobbed both goalkeeper and bar, before curling a free-kick narrowly over.

Moments after Gray had missed Burnley’s best chance Grosicki did the same for the Tigers, bending a shot wide.

The drama had been saved for the final 20 minutes.

Burnley were stunned when Michael Keane was penalised for handball in the area, when his hand was in a natural position and he had been pushed by Maguire. Heaton almost served justice, but Tom Huddlestone’s penalty crept into the corner.

Four minutes later Keane was involved in the other box. He controlled Robbie Brady’s far-post corner on his chest before slamming home an equaliser.

There was still time for more controversy as Ashley Barnes saw red after earning a second booking in injury time, having been shown yellow for complaining at the penalty decision.

But Burnley held on for a second away point of the season. It was an ideal start to a long month.