CLARETS chief Sean Dyche believes his men can bounce back from their Boxing Day blues as they cross Lancashire for their final game of 2013 - and he is sure they have what it takes to topple Wigan Athletic and move back to the summit of the Championship.

Burnley lost their place at the top of the pile when they slipped to a 1-0 loss at Middlesbrough on Thursday but Dyche knows enough about his men to know that a rare defeat is not the end of the world and nothing more than a setback.

The Riverside reverse was only a third league loss of the season for Dyche and the manager said: “Three losses is tremendous in a way because the challenges are right there for us, they were there at the beginning of the season and they’re still there.

“To only have three losses at this stage, well I think most Burnley people would take that, and I would myself.

“I’ve been very proud of the players of what they’re achieving and what they’re delivering.

“There were large parts of the game at Middlesbrough where I thought they delivered a good performance.

“We’ll reflect on it, we’ll add in the things that we think are important and make sure everyone’s fit and ready to go again at Wigan.”

Middlesbrough’s coaching staff celebrated the Boxing Day win in their dugout and rather than being annoyed by that, Dyche sees that as a mark of respect and added: “We are a force and a team to be reckoned with because we’re right up there.

“Weirdly that’s a strange kind of positive that people view us like that.

“We played some real good build-up play at Middlesbrough and got into the right areas.

“It was only really in the box when we weren’t as alive as we have been, although Shay Given made two really good saves, especially from Ingsy in the first half.”

Dyche believes the Clarets would have got something from the game had it not been for Given and he added: “If you look at their squad and their team-sheet that’s been put together for a whole lot of money.

“Credit to Steve Gibson because seemingly from what I read he keeps backing it year on year.

“They’ve got Shay Given in goal, not exactly a mug that’s for sure.

“It’s fair to say he can make a save, which he did.

“But we move on now and it’s another important game and another big game for us.

“We’re taking plenty over there. There was a great group of supporters at Middlesbrough and they’re going to Wigan in numbers so we’re looking forward to it.”

While the festive period is always a hectic time with games coming thick and fast, Dyche doesn’t believe in the need to change his squad or start rotating his men and says the advances in sports science and diet can make the difference.

The manager has limited numbers to choose from but is likely to resist any temptation to rest men despite the schedule.

“I wouldn’t change my team for that reason,” he said.

“The lads get magnificent support now with dietary support and sports science.

“At Middlesbrough our energy was excellent and application was excellent yet again – certain players covering miles for the cause, as well as some of the quality.

“We’ll make sure they’re rested and then they’ll come in on Saturday morning ready to build into the game at Wigan.

“We’ve already pre-planned what we expect from them and how we’re going to support them in doing so so that they’re ready to play.

“We are working with a certain group of players and we’ve got to try to maximise the best out of that group. It’s fair to say we have done so far but there needs to be that freshness to it sometimes.

“Just with people coming on the pitch with different skill sets can affect a game, and it so nearly did.”

Dyche was forced to cope without Ben Mee at Middlesbrough but he could come back into the reckoning tomorrow.

“He’s got a minor thigh strain,” said Dyche.

“We were hopeful he might make it for Middlesbrough so he’s looking promising from now on.

“But we can’t risk him.

“We’re in a position with the low numbers that we carry that we have to make sure people are not only fit but absolutely fit and ready to go.

“There was just a doubt with so many games coming up whether that would be too much.

“He picked it up against Blackpool and with the games coming round we have to be careful.”