SAM Vokes believes Burnley can learn from their Chelsea defeat as they prepare for a crucial September.

The Clarets face home games with Hull and Watford along with a trip to champions Leicester City when the Premier League returns to action after the international break.

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And Vokes, who scored his first top-flight goal against Liverpool earlier this month and has now joined up with the Wales squad ahead of their opening World Cup qualifier with Moldova on Monday, believes it is matches against sides likely to finish in the bottom half that hold the most weight for Burnley.

“These are games we’re probably not fancied to win, so for us we’ve got to challenge ourselves and give a good account of ourselves,” said Vokes.

“It was a tough afternoon and we’ve got a big game when we come back against Hull.”

The Clarets fell behind early on Saturday at Stamford Bridge to an Eden Hazard strike after nine minutes which set the Blues on their way to a straight-forward 3-0 home win.

Vokes said: “It was always going to be a hard game. We didn’t give great account of ourselves in the first half.

“We let them play and obviously when they got in front it was always going to be hard.

“They are a difficult team to break down at the best of times, and when you go 1-0 down it’s always going to be tough.

“Last week (against Liverpool) we got ourselves ahead early doors and we had something to hold into.

“This time it was the other way round. They scored early and it was always going to be an uphill challenge from there.

“But in the second half we got our foot on the ball a bit more and gave a better account of ourselves.”

Burnley had survived until the 41st minute without conceding again when Willian slammed home a shot, and Vokes accepts that was the killer blow.

“Yeah, it was (crucial),” he admitted.

“Even at 1-0 you look at it and think you’re still in the game if you can nick one.

“That second one kind of killed us off, but it is what it is and we go again after the international break.”