BURNLEY manager Sean Dyche says Dane Richards can play his part in Burnley’s play-off push.

While transfer deadline day passed relatively peacefully at Turf Moor, the Clarets had already welcomed the Jamaican international as a January signing from Vancouver Whitecaps.

Richards penned a pre-contract agreement under former boss Eddie Howe in August, before the conclusion of the Major League Soccer season.

The 29-year-old came with a good pedigree, after spending five and a half years with the New York Red Bulls, where he scored 21 goals in just under 150 appearances.

Dyche has carefully managed the winger following his arrival in East Lancashire in the New Year.

Since giving Richards his first taste of English football from the bench in the FA Cup third round defeat at Barnsley on January 5, the Burnley boss has chosen to slowly integrate him into his new surroundings, and get him up to speed with Championship football.

Since his debut Richards has been on the bench for home games with Crystal Palace and Birmingham City.

Although he was not named in the 18-man squad for the win at Millwall, he travelled to the capital with the team and Dyche says Clarets fans could see more of the wide man as the season progresses.

“You’ve seen glimpses of him,” said the Burnley boss.

“He’s been getting more and more used to things, his fitness has improved, his sharpness has improved and he’s getting more and more used to the players and the culture we set and he’s fitted in well.

“He’s quite quiet so he’s an interesting character to have around the place, but he’s fitted in well and we’ll see what his pathway into the team is over the next few weeks and months.”

While Dyche is not expected to make radical changes to the team whose overshadow the type of player we have attracted and the type of player who wants to come to the football club.

“Hopefully and more importantly we will make sure on Thursday we are in a position to do something quickly. I think it is a real statement of intent from Blackburn Rovers as a football club.

“The two players made it very, very clear, they wanted to play for myself and the football club and that hasn’t changed despite the frustrations of last night.

“I have obviously worked with Jerome at West Brom and he is someone I have tried to get on loan previously at other clubs. If we manage to do something they will be two fantastic signings for the football club.

“We will definitely be looking at a defender when the window reopens.

“Apart from the two lads we want, we probably need one more defender to cover us and we are in a decent position to do that.

“I think with Lee (Williamson) being a free agent it didn’t have to be rushed.

“But I would like to think somewhere along the line we could do something.

“He is someone I have worked with before and he can play various positions in midfield.

“I would like to think we can revisit that after the weekend.”

Campbell had looked set to sign for Hull before holding talks with Rovers, and Tigers boss Steve Bruce yesterday said the striker had shown a ‘shocking lack of respect’.

Bruce said: “To say they were going for a bit of lunch and then end up going over the M62 and us trying to see where they are for the best part of two hours is nothing short of shocking.

“The way they did it, in particular DJ and his representatives, leaves a shocking taste in the mouth.”