BURNLEY might have just enjoyed their best season in 44 years, but those in charge at Turf Moor aren’t about to lose perspective.

While the six clubs who finished above the Clarets last season might only be happy to toast silverware as points make prizes, at Burnley points make pints.

Every time Burnley reach another 10 point milestone vice-chairman Barry Kilby and boss Sean Dyche will head out to celebrate the achievement.

Despite a first top-seven finish since 1973/74, that isn’t about to change. While Kilby comes from a family of Clarets and is steeped in what the club and the town about, Dyche has bought into the Burnley way and the Kettering-born boss has turned out to be an ideal fit.

“What a great manager he has turned out to be, well in keeping with the area and who we are,” Kilby said of the man who has brought the good times back to Turf Moor.

“Me and Sean have our 10-point parties. He lives in Whalley during the week with Ian Woan.

“When he started I said ‘I live in Ribchester’ so we’d meet up for a drink. So now every 10 points we’ll go out and have a few pints around Whalley and then go and have something to eat. That’s sort of in keeping with who we are.

“We’ve got to be who we are, we can’t pretend to be anyone else.”

During his time in the boardroom Kilby has seen it all. He took over as chairman in 1999 with Burnley in the third tier and although he stood down in 2012 as he battled prostate cancer, he was installed as Mike Garlick’s vice-chairman in 2015.

The Clarets might be back in Europe this season for the first time in 51 years, but the rise has been gradual. The club is debt free, spending only what it earns, with revenues rocketing while they stay in the Premier League.

Twice Burnley were relegated from the Premier League - once under Dyche in 2014/15 and once under a combination of Owen Coyle and Brian Laws in 2009/10 - but Kilby believes not being frightened of the drop has allowed the club to rise again.

“We’ve built it slowly, we’ve never been frightened of going down. We’ve had a great manager, obviously, in the past five years and we’ve managed to stay strong and come back,” he said.

“All the time running the club well and properly has been key, knowing our strengths but knowing some of the weaknesses we have as well for attracting people.

“One thing I do know, the way the town really identifies with its club. It’s something fabulous, the club and the town are really together.”

Asked about the secret to Burnley’s success, Kilby said: “First things first, we’ve been called on it sometimes, but we never bet the ranch. There are clubs now who are suffering from that.”

While foreign investors continue to dominate the landscape of English football, Burnley are an outlier in the upper echelons of the Premier League, with a boardroom dominated by Lancashire accents and Clarets supporters.

“It’s unheard of,” said Kilby, “but we’re representing this town.

“Sean understands that, he’s so down to earth, the team represents that, nobody likes playing us and nobody likes coming to Turf Moor.”

While other clubs are betting the ranch on success, Burnley remain prudent and don’t take risks.

“That’s right, I don’t think we can, but here we are,” added Kilby.

“Let’s keep it tight and see where it takes us. It’s our identity, it’s who we are, so let’s hope it gets recognised further afield.”

Burnley begin their Europa League campaign with a second qualifying round tie against Aberdeen.

Kilby is hoping to see the Clarets progress and bring some big European names to Turf Moor if they can reach the group stage.

The European campaign comes just over 30 years after Burnley hit their lowest point, preserving their Football League status on the final day of the 1986/87 season with a win over Orient, and Kilby believes this is a reward for the fans who suffered during those dark days.

“Quite a lot of people, who are past their 30s, were there during that dreadful season when we played Orient and we’d had gates of 1,800,” he said.

“If we’d have gone out of the Football League there wasn’t the same structure in place to get back in as there is now. Burnley would have gone out of business. Let’s go and enjoy it.”

The Clarets might have finished seventh last term but they have the demands of Europe to balance now.

Progress in the Europa League will lead to more Thursday-Sunday double headers and Kilby insists Premier League survival has to be the target again, highlighting the fate of West Brom and Stoke City, who went from mid-table to relegation in a season, as a warning.

“I think you’ve got to start off trying to stay in the Premier League,” he said. “You’d be silly to say that you want to improve on seventh because there is that really top elite.

“It would be brilliant if we could and don’t get me wrong we’re going to try and win every game. Let’s stay in this league so we can continue playing all the big clubs. We want to keep this going for the fans.

“It’s a tough league. I looked at who is coming up and the money that they can spend. You can’t get over-confident - just look at Stoke City and West Brom. They’ve both been well-established, finishing around 10th, and then that happens.”

It’s a fate Burnley will look to avoid next season and if Kilby and Dyche can enjoy four 10-point parties next term then Premier League status should be secured.