BURNLEY will rue a glut of missed chances after a second goalless draw in the space of 72 hours saw the Clarets begin their Premier League campaign with a point.

But this south coast stalemate couldn’t have been much different from the backs to the wall display in Istanbul on Thursday night. There Sean Dyche’s side were dogged, resilient and occasionally fortunate to escape with a draw.

Here they were expansive and confident, but too often toothless in front of goal as they failed to find the strike that their fine football deserved, before tiring late on.

After a summer of transfer market frustration Dyche began with 10 outfield players who were at the club last season, and it transpired that the team who finished seventh in the Premier League actually aren’t half bad.

They looked like they’d improved for a summer of pre-season work as well. They’d found another gear. Dyche has made a habit of adding a little bit extra to his side in every close season and their dominance of the ball against a side usually renowned for their own passing ability suggested that the Clarets could be fun to watch this season.

Dyche had made four changes from the side that got the goalless draw in the Europa League. In came the first choice full-backs, Matt Lowton and Stephen Ward, while Aaron Lennon was fit enough to start on the south coast and Chris Wood, who didn’t travel to Turkey, was over the allergic reaction to a bite that laid him low.

Dyche has never been a fan of rotation, insisting he always picks a team to win, but he knows it is going to be essential during the Clarets’ European run.

And Burnley showed no signs of Europa League jet lag in the early stages.

They should have lead on seven minutes. Ashley Westwood’s slide-rule pass found Jack Cork in the area, who opened up his body to find the bottom corner but saw the flag raised for offside, when replays suggested he was level.

Burnley continued to pour forward. Wesley Hoedt’s defensive header inadvertently sent Aaron Lennon in on goal, but Alex McCarthy made a fine save, before Johann Berg Gudmundsson won a free-kick and curled the 25-yard set-piece just over via the roof of the net.

Joe Hart had won the race to start Burnley’s Premier League season in goal, with Tom Heaton fit again but only on the bench, and Hart was called into action for the first time to tip Mario Lemina’s near post header over the bar.

It was a brief respite for the Saints though. Back came Burnley. Jeff Hendrick’s pass sent Cork on the break and he found Gudmundsson in the area, but his shot was blocked by Jannik Vestergaard, before Westwood ended a fine move with a 20-yard shot that was deflected narrowly wide.

Chances were continuing to come and go for the Clarets. On the stroke of half-time Gudmundsson’s free-kick was headed up the air by Vestergaard and Ben Mee’s overhead kick sent the ball to an unmarked Hendrick at the back post, but his header was smothered on the line by McCarthy.

The second half began in the same fashion. Gudmundsson’s close-range effort was deflected wide and from the corner Ward hooked a volley straight at McCarthy.

It was a familiar face to Burnley who finally began to help get Southampton on the front foot. The introduction of deadline day signing and former Claret Danny Ings just before the hour, alongside fellow new boy Mohamed Elyounoussi, saw the hosts move to 4-4-2.

Within five minutes Nathan Redmond’s shot had been deflected over and from the corner Mee headed towards his own goal under pressure from Charlie Austin, with Westwood heading clear from under his own crossbar.

As the Saints came into the game Burnley were beginning to show signs of tiredness, and Hart pounced at his near post to deny Jack Stephens before catching Lemina’s glancing header as the Clarets stood firm in the closing stages to earn a valuable away point.

Burnley: Joe Hart, Matt Lowton, James Tarkowski, Ben Mee, Stephen Ward, Johann Berg Gudmundsson (Charlie Taylor 87), Jack Cork, Ashley Westwood, Aaron Lennon, Jeff Hendrick (Ashley Barnes 76), Chris Wood (Sam Vokes 73)

Subs not used: Tom Heaton, Phil Bardsley, Charlie Taylor, Ben Gibson, Jon Walters

Southampton: Alex McCarthy, Jack Stephens, Jannik Vestergaard, Wesley Hoedt, Cedric (Mohamed Elyounoussi 56), Oriol Romeu, Mario Lemina, Stuart Armstrong (Danny Ings 56), Ryan Bertrand, Nathan Redmond, Charlie Austin (Manolo Gabbiadini 72)

Subs not used: Angus Gunn, Jan Bednarek, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, James Ward-Prowse