“PROBABLY the one that got away” was Sean Dyche’s appraisal of Saturday afternoon’s disappointing defeat to Reading.

Yet the post-match frustration amongst supporters was more that Burnley gave the game away rather than seeing it slip from their grasp.

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The Clarets were guilty of some uncharacteristically sloppy defending in handing the Royals a two-goal lead inside the first 10 minutes.

And despite some decent pockets of pressure, particularly after the interval, those early lapses were to prove their undoing.

That having been said, there were still a number of positives to take from the defeat.

Tendayi Darikwa’s beautifully executed first goal for the club was the least he deserved for an afternoon spent tirelessly patrolling the right flank and conjuring many of Burnley’s brightest moments.

Elsewhere there was a promising debut from Chris Long, recently propelled into the match-day squad after a trio of injuries and departures in the striking department.

Initial impressions were that the former Everton forward showed some excellent movement at times but occasionally struggled to physically impose himself.

Yet it was another debutant who stole the show.

Joey Barton’s 35 minute cameo was like a breath of fresh air being blown around Turf Moor.

Not only did his second-half introduction act as the catalyst for the Clarets’ best spell of the game, it also dramatically improved what had become a flat atmosphere in the ground.

Ever since Dean Marney failed to reappear for the second half of the West Brom game last season, Burnley have struggled to impose themselves in the centre of midfield.

The 33-year-old remedied that with a display of well- channelled aggression, constant probing and what modern coaches like to refer to as good recycling of the ball.

On Saturday’s evidence, Barton has to be the first name on the team-sheet.

One pleasing side-effect of Barton’s introduction to the fray was that it allowed Scott Arfield to be redeployed on the left wing.

The Scot has done a decent job for the team partnering David Jones in Marney’s enforced absence but you never got the impression he was totally comfortable there.

Arfield’s best moments at Burnley have come when he has been used as a left-winger – a point that was emphatically underlined when his superb ball from the flank was dutifully despatched by Darikwa in the 66th minute.

Here’s hoping he gets chance to shine again at Rotherham.