WHEN Burnley were roared from the Turf Moor pitch on December 12 with Sean Dyche declaring himself the ‘proudest man in Proudsville’ the feelgood factor around the club was rocketing.

Two months on from that victory over Stoke City that briefly had the Clarets in the top four and the picture is very different.

While the league table hasn’t actually changed that much - although that perhaps says more about the chasing pack and their own inconsistencies - Burnley haven’t tasted victory since beating the Potters in the pouring Lancashire rain.

Defeat at Swansea City on Saturday, where the heavy rain was much more apt, extended that winless Premier League run to double figures, matching the streak at the start of the 2014/15 season when most of the Burnley squad and Dyche himself were very much newcomers to the division.

No comparison can be made between the class of 14/15 and this side, who have done the hard work in establishing a platform that had all-but-secured Premier League survival by the turn of the year.

But while this run has had its highs, notably the draw at Old Trafford and the point against Manchester City just over a week ago, the Burnley that turned up at the Liberty Stadium looked short of belief and when it came to the crunch it was Swansea who made it happen, just as the Clarets had been doing themselves until mid-December.

There are mitigating factors of course, notably the worst run of injuries in Dyche’s Turf Moor tenure, but there are also worrying signs, especially in Burnley’s ability to breakdown teams below them in the table.

Nine of Burnley’s 21 league goals have come against the top six, with only 12 against the 13 sides below them and only one in their last five games against teams in the bottom half.

The Clarets are badly in need of a shot in the arm and hopefully it will come via a break in the sun in Portugal. Burnley would have desperately wanted this winless run off their backs before jetting out. Instead they will have to show their frustrations on the training pitch over the next couple of weeks.

This afternoon at the Liberty Stadium summed up Burnley’s struggles in front of goal in these fixtures. They had their opportunities, but clear chances never arrived.

Jeff Hendrick had an early shot blocked after good work by Johann Berg Gudmundsson, Sam Vokes fired wide on the turn and Ashley Barnes sent a dipping volley over.

They were all from outside the box though. Gudmundsson was the first to see the white of the woodwork inside the area but he sliced wide after good work down the right by Aaron Lennon.

Gudmundsson and Lennon had started in the positions they had finished against City, with the Iceland man left and the new boy on the right. They had again threatened so it was a surprise to see them switched at half-time.

It took what impetus there was out of Burnley. Barnes curled wide from outside the area and Gudmundsson finally forced Lukasz Fabianski into a save with an angled half-volley, although it was routine for the Pole.

As the clock ticked down the Clarets looked to be settling for a point. Swansea had rarely threatened but they had the greater need and it was Carlos Carvalhal who looked to change the game, with attacking subs made as Andre Ayew and Tammy Abraham came off the bench for a full-back and a winger respectively.

Both changes resulted in a reshuffle but they breathed life into the crowd and the team and Swansea’s best spell of pressure resulted in Ki Sung-yueng finding the bottom corner from 20 yards with nine minutes to go.