Burnley boss Sean Dyche hopes experienced campaigner Matty Taylor can add nous to relegation battle

The 33-year-old was a last-minute substitute in the 1-0 defeat at home to Arsenal, having battled back from a recurring Achilles injury which has ruined most of his first season in a claret and blue shirt.

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But Dyche is confident the experienced campaigner can have an impact during the final six games of the season.

“Matty’s getting fitter and stronger. He might play a part as the games kick on — he has done before so let’s hope he’s fit enough to do so and affect the team in a positive manner,” said the Clarets chief.

After arriving at Turf Moor in the summer Taylor started the first three league games of the season, but until Saturday he hadn’t been seen since the 0-0 draw with Manchester United on August 30.

He underwent surgery on an Achilles problem but suffered a couple of setbacks on his return to fitness.

Last week Dyche revealed that Taylor had struggled in between games for the development squad as he tried to reach match fitness.

Having experienced relegation battles with Portsmouth and Bolton in a career of 319 top-flight appearances, Taylor could yet be a vital option for the Clarets for the final six games of the season.

He was the only substitute made by Dyche in the Turf Moor defeat to Arsenal, and the Burnley boss has defended his use of substitutions.

“We’re looking to change a game,” he said. “We’ve got our goalscorers on the pitch, we want to score goals. We’ve been playing with three strikers for the last few weeks.”

While Taylor made the bench, Steven Reid, Ross Wallace and Marvin Sordell missed out having not trained enough during the week.

“They only trained for one day this week,” Dyche said of Reid and Wallace. “Marvin was the same.

“We’re certainly in a state where we don’t want to risk players because we’ve got these next six games which are very, very important. Marvin has a minor knee problem.”