BURNLEY boss Sean Dyche does not fear the manager of the month curse after winning the Championship award for September – hours after Danny Ings was also recognised with his first call-up to the England under 21 squad.

A fantastic week in which Burney moved to the top of the Championship table has now got even better with the Football League confirming Dyche as the winner of the manager of the month award, while 21-year-old top scorer Ings has been selected at international level for the first time.

The striker will link up with Gareth Southgate’s England under 21 squad for European Championship qualifiers away to San Marino on Thursday and at home to Lithuania in Ipswich five days later. 

Dyche saw off competition from three other nominees – Millwall’s Steve Lomas, Leicester’s Nigel Pearson and Watford’s Gianfranco Zola – to become the first Burnley boss to win a manager of the month award since Owen Coyle in September 2008. The Clarets were promoted that season.

The award is often accompanied by the dreaded curse, where the winning manager sees his team immediately suffer a downturn in form.

But Dyche has no concerns about such talk, as Burnley attempt to hang on to top spot when they host expected promotion challengers Reading tomorrow.

He said: “I’ve said many times that I don’t believe in records and all that – you haven’t won there in this many years, they haven’t beaten you and you’ve not beaten them.

“Each game is a big challenge for us and any other team.

“I’m not one to over-dramatise such things but I accept the award gladly on behalf of the board, the players, the staff and the fans.

“It’s just a nice sign of the work we’ve managed to put in as a group.”

And Dyche believes Ings, who has netted 10 goals already this season, has proved to Southgate that he is worth his place in the England under 21 squad.

The forward follows in the footsteps of Jay Rodriguez, who earned a call-up while Burnley with two-and-a-half years ago.

“Danny has fully deserved it,” the boss said. “I spoke to Gareth a month ago and made him aware of my thoughts on Danny.

“I promoted the fact that I think he’s a very good player and someone who’s learning and improving all the time.

“It’s a great little start point for him with the England set-up.”

Dyche admits bigger clubs will be starting to watch the likes of Ings and full back Kieran Trippier, but sees that as a good thing.

“It is that double-edged sword,” he said. “You recognise that players are playing well, the challenge is then the predatory system of football and thinking, ‘Hang on a minute, we might lose one’.

“On a financial level, the board made it quite clear when Charlie (Austin) was sold that that was it for now.

“That’s what it needed to safeguard the future and that hasn’t changed to my knowledge, so there’s certainly no looking at that side of things.

“When people do come and watch our players I personally think it’s a positive because it shows good signs about what we’re doing as a group.”

Dyche has been on the look-out for a loan addition up front for some weeks, as cover for Ings and fellow in-form striker Sam Vokes.

That search continues and the boss hopes the club’s current league position will do no harm in attracting players.

“You can look at it either way,” he said.

“If you’re a centre forward you possibly think will my chances be limited because the two centre forwards are doing well.

“On the other hand there’s an attraction because we’re going well and then people possibly hear good things about what’s going on and think, ‘I’d like to be part of that’.”

Dean Marney returns from a one-match ban tomorrow and could start in place of David Edgar.