[dropcap]U[/dropcap]ltimately, a season resulting in your team finishing 19th and subsequently getting relegated wouldn’t amount to (in most peoples minds) a good season.
However there are a number of reasons as to why, despite relegation, Burnley fans can hold their heads high after their exciting, albeit brief return to the top flight.
It would be fair to assume that before this season started, most would have tipped the Clarets as favourites to go down, and despite the season culminating in that fashion, the Lancastrians gave it a right good go.
Burnley have exposed a number of young English talents to the Premier League, names such as Kieran Trippier, Danny Ings and Tom Heaton (the latter receiving an England call-up), with all three being chased by high-profile clubs.
Who can forget their famous victory over the former champions: Manchester City, where George Boyd, recently brought in from Hull City, scored arguably one of the goals of the season?
Burnley, like many recently promoted sides, encountered that all familiar problem of simply failing to score goals.
It is indisputable that in every game, Sean Dyche’s side were incredibly organised, and the team covered every blade of grass – evidenced by the fact that despite them finishing second bottom, they were never on the wrong end of a hiding – unlike Sunderland or QPR for example.
However, despite the consistent, well-disciplined performances from the Clarets, its clear that they suffered from a lack of quality up front and in terms of creativity.
They relied too heavily on Danny Ings for goals and, apart from him, there was no real obvious source of where the goals would come from, hence why they scored the fewest goals in the league.
It can also be argued that at times the football played was drab, evidenced by the many low-scoring results seen at Turf Moor – which on one hand shows signs of a well-organised defence, however is also indicative of a lack of creativity in the final third.
All in all, despite the obvious disappointment of an instant return to the Championship, the Clarets fans can reflect on a season with ups and downs.
With a number of key signings in the summer, staying with Sean Dyche and without losing a lot of their more prominent players this season, we can expect a Burnley return to the Premier League very soon.
