SAM Vokes insists Burnley feel like they belong in the Premier League now after beating the drop last season.

The Clarets finished 16th last term, comfortably staving off a return to the Championship to secure successive top flight campaigns for the first time in more than 40 years.

Vokes’ goals were crucial to Burnley’s success, with the striker hitting 10 in the Premier League and five in his final five games to finish as the club’s top scorer.

And after personal and collective success Vokes said there was now a real belief in the Clarets camp about tackling the Premier League in 2017/18.

“Altogether, individually and as a squad, we feel Premier League now,” the 27-year-old said.

“We came up last time and went straight back down but we gave it another right good go. With our home form especially we feel a massive part of it.”

Vokes’ believes that experience of the ultimately unsuccessful battle to beat the drop un 2014/15 helped the veterans of that campaign last season.

This summer Sean Dyche has added to the ranks with plenty of Premier League experience, with Phil Bardsley, Jon Walters and Jack Cork bringing more than 600 top flight appearances with them to Turf Moor.

And Wales international Vokes believes that can be a valuable asset.

“We’ve got some great players now and some great competition for places,” he said. “There’s some real talent in the squad.

“You see the players coming in already and Bardsley coming in as well will add to that competition. It can only bode well for the squad really because there’s strength in every position now.

“There’s a lot of great Premier League experience coming in now so I think it’s another big step for the club to be bringing those kind of players in.

“The core of the squad has been through both sides of it so the experience is there. The lads coming in who have got that Premier League experience already will only help that. I think there’s strength in numbers and we’ve got the experience.”

That knowhow could be crucial on the opening day, with the Clarets handed the toughest possible assignment with a trip to face champions Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

“I think we all thought that when the fixtures came out - when’s a good time to go to the champions? If you catch them on an off day then you never know,” said Vokes, who opened his pre-season account with a goal at Preston on Tuesday.

At least it’s a goal he is claiming, with Kevin Long’s header heading towards the back of the net before Vokes flung a leg at it.

“Longy got a great head on it but I think I managed to get my toe nail on it as it was going in to the far post,” he said.

“Overall it was a great workout, the lads got some good minutes under their belt and it was a good test. I thought Preston played well, almost Premier League like, trying to play out from the back. They gave us a good test that way.

“I missed out on Saturday but I think a lot of the lads got 90 minutes under their belts so you can see the fitness building now.

“I felt good, I picked up a little ankle injury (last) Thursday and missed Friday’s training so I didn’t want to risk it for Saturday. I had Preston in mind and I got some good minutes.”