CLARETS fans couldn’t have asked for much more in the first half of the season. Let’s hope the lads can repeat it.

In the circumstances, it’s incredible to think that up to the January transfer window opening Sean Dyche had not spent a penny on transfer fees in 14 months in charge, and two transfer windows later.

To build the team that he has on a limited budget shows the mark of the man, his coaching ability and his staff.

He trusts the people that are around him and together they have put Burnley in a very healthy position at this present time – second in the table, seven points clear of fifth placed Nottingham Forest and 11 ahead of Ipswich Town in sixth.

The manager has established a terrific team ethic.

He calls the side a ‘unit’ and that’s exactly what it is – a unit of players.

If they are all playing for each other and helping each other it makes a hell of a difference, and that’s the mentality that Dyche has developed at Turf Moor and Gawthorpe.

Yeovil away presents a possible banana skin. But the Clarets have established a mentality so strong that I am confident they will not slip up.

Going out of the FA Cup last weekend was not, in my view, necessarily a bad thing.

When the draw was first made I thought it represented a good opportunity bow out gracefully and concentrate on the league.

It could quite easily have become a distraction and with a squad the size of ours - regardless of any January additions - it’s one we could do without given what we’re trying to achieve this season.

And it is good to see the board are prepared to put their hand in their pocket to help the manager and the squad.

It has been a long time coming, but this is an important time to look to make that push.

It’s a timely boost to the team and the supporters.

We have to be looking to put another run together as we did in the first half of the season.

If we can do that in the second half then that would be magnificent and it would be all to play for.