MANAGER Sean Dyche is confident the Clarets are resilient enough to push for a play-off place, despite dropping 22 points from winning positions.

Burnley took the lead in their last two games, yet emerged with only one point after coming back from behind to draw at Peterborough.

Last week’s loss to struggling neighbours Bolton Wanderers came after defender David Edgar had headed them in front.

It was the first time since Dyche took charge in October that the Clarets had suffered defeat after scoring first.

Before the former Watford manager’s appointment, Burnley surrendered 13 points after taking the lead in five games.

But he insists they are working hard to iron out those early season flaws, and are succeeding.

“The first 13 games of the season there were three losses from winning positions – Middlesbrough, Leicester, Palace – and two draws from winning positions, Millwall and Sheffield Wednesday.

“The total points lost were 13.

“The percentage of games lost from winning positions was 30 per cent. Of games not won from winning positions was 50 per cent.

“Of the last 18 games since we’ve been here it’s one game lost, and that was Bolton last week.

“We’ve only drawn against Barnsley, Peterborough and Birmingham.

“So from the 18 games we could have had nine extra points.

“The percentage of games lost from winning positions is nine per cent, instead of 30.

“The percentage of games not won, so therefore drawn, is 36 per cent against 50.”

Those improvements lead Dyche to believe Burnley can be strong in the final third of the season.

“When I talk about progress, there is progress,” said the Clarets boss.

“The stat sounds harsh, but when you look at the last 18 games since we’ve tried to change things and add to it, then it’s considerably softened I would say.

“If you look at that statistic, one loss from a leading position every 18 games - over a season of course - that’s 2.5 per cent.

“So when you think about some of the powerful teams in the division that’s not unreasonable.

“I’m not a zealot to this information, but it’s another factor that we throw in the hat to kind of get a feel of where you are, not the perception of where you’re at.

“It’s a fact that we’ve lost 22 points from leading positions, but there is development here. It is an ongoing process and it has got better, it has got stronger, the mentality’s changing and it’s onwards and upwards.”

Burnley are without a game this weekend, after their scheduled meeting with Huddersfield was postponed due to the Yorkshire club’s involvement in the FA Cup.

Striker Sam Vokes is set to benefit from the break after a foot injury forced him out of the midweek friendly at Stoke City, where he scored twice in a 2-1 win.

“He didn’t train (yesterday) so you could only presuppose (whether he would have figured tomorrow),” said Dyche, who hopes the targetman has recovered in time for Tuesday’s home game against Middlesbrough.

“With a muscle injury or strain you have to be careful, but with a bang it’s just sore. The problem is it can be too sore to kick a football or, because of where it is, to run around on it then we would have had to have considered that.

“We can only be hopefully that he’s available for Tuesday no problem.”

Keith Treacy missed two days’ training this week after Dyche revealed he had been given permission to go home to Dublin to see his family.