BUILDING on the success of last season is going to be a ‘challenge’ for Burnley, says boss Sean Dyche.

The Clarets chief spoke to his players before the end of last season about putting their record-breaking campaign behind them and returning for pre-season ready to secure Premier League survival once again.

That will be Dyche’s first target in 2018/19, despite leading the club to a seventh place finish last term, the club’s highest in 44 years.

Last season Dyche placed great emphasis on seeing his side make progress from the campaign before, when they finished 16th with 40 points. But bettering that by nine places and 14 points makes finding more improvement next season an even bigger test.

“That’s the challenge. The challenge of relative failure is easier because you have to do better, if you stay in your job,” the Turf boss said.

“Relative success can be different, it’s still a challenge, because then people say ‘where are you going to take this?’

“Whatever you do, the next story, the next opinion, is waiting - the usual question about the expectation levels.

“Football waits for no-one. After promotion, I said, give me one day. Then I asked for two before the negative stories start.

“The Europa thing, people were negative before we even got there. It’s the nature of it, that’s how I see it.”

Although Dyche would love to see his side take another step forward next term, he insists Premier League safety has to be the first target once again.

Burnley are bidding to secure a fourth successive top flight season but they face the dual demands of domestic competition and the Europa League this term and the travails of West Brom and Stoke City last season, who went from mid-table finishes to relegation, can act as a warning.

“The immediate one is still Premier League status, we can’t go away from that,” Dyche said of next season’s targets.

“We’ve seen that this season, the chaos of the division. We all know where the top six are, and it’s not impossible, as Leicester have shown, but improbable that will radically change, because of their buying power and the power of the clubs.

“Outside of that, (it’s) relative chaos. Maybe people could argue Swansea after selling some good players, that could happen, with everyone sat thinking who it could happen to - and people would have put us in that category.

“I don’t think West Brom and Stoke were in that category, and the others, West Ham and Palace fighting around there, it’s really tough.”

Getting to 40 points is usually considered enough for survival and having finished on that tally in 2016/17 bettering it last year was a simple target for the Clarets.

“The first marker for probably 14 (clubs), apart from that top group and Everton historically, is 40 points,” Dyche said. “Everyone else, let’s try and form a team and get to 40 points, and then, where can we take it?

“This season was slightly different, can we go better than 40 points? Then can we move it forward from there?

“Then we start again. It’s not a goal, it’s the first challenge, a marker. If you get there, then you open your minds and see where we can take it, and we’ve taken it a long way.

“It doesn’t guarantee next season though, we’ve already had the chat with the players. We start again and have to move forward again.

“What have we learned, what can we add in, and be careful what you change.”