So far, so predictable. Three games into their return to the top flight and Burnley find themselves exactly where most people thought they would be – winless and bottom of the pile.

But then looking at league tables before the end of September is a mug’s game.

That goes double when the schedules are arranged in such a way that you get Chelsea and Manchester United rolling up at Turf Moor within 12 days of one another.

Most people accept that losing 1-3 to a team who will duke it out with Manchester City for the title is nothing to get wildly upset about.

And taking a point from Manchester United, who for all the talk of crisis still have half a dozen very handy players, can only be described as encouraging.

But after a whirlwind opening to their 2014/15 campaign, the Clarets’ season really starts this weekend. Between Saturday and the middle of October, Burnley have a quintet of games from which they need to pick up at least a couple of wins.

Crystal Palace (away), Sunderland (home), West Bromwich Albion (away), Leicester City (away) and West Ham United (home) are far from straightforward fixtures – particularly as four of those five teams include players who know what’s needed to scrap for survival – but the Clarets have to start getting points on the board some time and the next few weeks seem to present as decent an opportunity as could realistically be hoped for.

They should be greatly assisted in their quest by the three new arrivals who signed up on what turned out to be a productive transfer deadline day for the club.

The creative George Boyd offers something different from the attacking options Sean Dyche already has at his disposal.

Chelsea’s promising Nathaniel Chalobah will provide a welcome injection of youth and much-needed cover at centre-half once the so far excellent Michael Duff and Jason Shackell succumb to injury or suspension.

The same can also be said of Manchester United’s Michael Keane who, apart from anything else, will probably learn more about the art of defending under Sean Dyche’s tutelage than he would by hanging around the car-crash that passes for a defence at Old Trafford these days.

Palace away is never an easy game.

And Burnley are unfortunate to be running into the Eagles on the occasion of new manager Neil Warnock’s first game at Selhurst Park. Still, every game in the Premier League is full of challenges. This is just the latest.