BURNLEY’S promotion to the Premier League two years ago without splashing the cash is unlikely to ever be matched, according to boss Sean Dyche.

The Clarets defied the odds in 2013/14 to reach the Premier League, despite operating on a small budget by Championship standards, with only Ashley Barnes signed for a fee, of around £750,000, during the season.

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Two years on the landscape in the second tier has changed dramatically, with Derby spending over £20million since the summer, while Middlesbrough splashed out £11million on Jordan Rhodes on deadline day.

And Dyche believes the days of clubs like Burnley finishing in the top two despite not spending money are over.

“The facts are the division has changed and it has changed significantly over the last couple of years,” said the Clarets chief.

“Middlesbrough have put an enormous amount of money on to the pitch in both wages and fees, Derby likewise, Hull in a different way, they’ve spent some and brought some in, but they’ve still got a very deep squad and an experienced squad which they spent millions getting there. Sheffield Wednesday are adding to that with players who I know are on big wages.

“The challenge has changed. There’s no angle from it.

“What we did two years I don’t think will ever be done again. With the wage structure we had here, going up automatically in the top two with that will never be done again.

“That’s because of what we’re now experiencing, it’s going forward ever increasingly.”

Having spent last season in the top flight, with all the accompanying riches that brings, Burnley have loosened the purse strings this time around, notably signing Andre Gray for £6million in the summer and James Tarkowski for £3million on deadline day.

But they have bought fees in for last season’s captain Jason Shackell and right-back Kieran Trippier, and are still waiting on a fee to be set for Danny Ings move to Liverpool, and Dyche insists he will never gamble the club’s future to reach the Premier League.

“You’ve seen the heaven and hell of it, with some clubs in the Championship in dire straits because of going it for every year,” he said.

“This club has made a point of saying we want to challenge but we also want to safeguard the club.

“Like any manager I want as much money as I can to bring in the best players I can but I wouldn’t throw it all under the bus.

“Building a club is more important than thrashing the life out of it and hoping for the best.

“I think the fans get it. They understand that part of Burnley’s history is punching above it’s weight and we’re in a good position to do that and to make sure the fans have a club to go and watch.

“We’ve moved forward appropriately, but there’s so many clubs who have moved forward inappropriately because they’ve got benefactors who are willing to put money into the club to cover it.”