CLARETS boss Sean Dyche has urged supporters to roar his side to victory in tonight’s top-of-the-table clash with Middlesbrough at Turf Moor.

Burnley were backed by more than 2,300 fans at Birmingham on Saturday and Dyche wants to see Turf Moor rocking for the visit of Aitor Karanka’s table-topping side.

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Victory would send the Clarets back to the league summit and leave them three wins away from the Championship title, and Dyche wants to see the atmosphere from the away end at St Andrew’s recreated tonight.

“The fans have been brilliant all season and they’ve seen a lot of good reasons to be excited about what’s going on,” he said.

“We took good numbers down there (to Birmingham) as we invariably do away from home no matter where it is. They were in good voice and we want them to bring that attitude, that feeling and that support back into Turf Moor with the increase in numbers.

“It doesn’t guarantee you anything but it gives you a better chance of success.”

Boro boss Karanka has stoked the fires ahead of what is already the biggest game of the season for both teams by suggesting Dyche has ‘no excuses’ for failing to win promotion this season.

But the Burnley boss is bemused as to why his comments over Middlesbrough’s spending have caused such a fuss, especially on Teesside.

Dyche said earlier in the season that he felt Boro were able to flex their financial muscle in the Championship by spending big on players and wages, “A lot was made of my words early season, I don’t know why for the life of me, it’s a fact, they have spent heavily and wisely,” said the Clarets chief.

“I make that clear - wisely.

“When I spoke to the manager when we played up there, he made a strong case about how he’d reflected on last season and what they needed to go forward, and the chairman backed him, and they’ve delivered a really good season up to now.

“They’ll be trying to take the game on, we try to take the game on home and away, we go to win every time we play.

“Bring it on, we’re ready!”

Karanka has carved out a reputation for his squad rotation this season, something that appears to be working with Boro often snatching late winners, including two in the last week against Reading and Bolton.

But Dyche insists the uncertainty surrounding the opposition’s starting line-up doesn’t make it a difficult game to prepare for.

“We’ve become used to that, not just from them but across the division,” Dyche said.

“There’s been a lot of talk over the last few years about rotation, they’ve got a very deep squad, they can change it.

“Our players have adapted well over the season to different changes, tactical scenarios and different players they have to face.”

Avoiding defeat tonight would see Burnley equal the 20-game unbeaten league run from the 1982/83 season.

If they manage to go the rest of the season unbeaten they would set a post-war record of 23 games, but Dyche insists that is not a target on anyone’s mind at the moment.

“We don’t even worry about it. If you’re successful and you’re winning all those things come to you,” he said.

“We’ve broken a lot of records here over the time, we’ve had many different markers in the club’s history but it all comes from just getting the next one right.

“You keep winning and things keep coming your way. If you get the winning right often enough all good things come to you.”