SEAN Dyche was pleased with Joey Barton’s fitness levels after the returning midfielder came through 90 minutes in the FA Cup third round tie at Sunderland.

Barton was playing his first competitive match since the Old Firm game on September 10, which turned out to be his last for Rangers following a training ground bust-up.

MORE TOP STORIES:

He has been training with the Clarets since his Ibrox contract was terminated in November and has played for the development squad.

Barton could feature again in the FA Cup replay a week today, but Dyche admits he will have to earn the right to start in the Premier League, with the Burnley boss having plenty of options in central midfield.

“He knows he’s got some work to do, but his general fitness was very good, and credit to him,” said Dyche.

“He’s had a spell and been training with us, with the sports science team away from the main team while he got his base fitness up.

“But true match fitness is different and he was good with that.”

Burnley have enjoyed a good start to the Premier League season and they lie 12th in the table ahead of Saturday’s Turf Moor clash with Southampton.

Barton, who was voted last season’s supporters’ player of the year, has slotted seamlessly back into the group, but there is no guarantee he will walk back into the side.

“He’s vocal enough when he needs to be, but he wants to be part of the group,” said Dyche.

“He knows there’s a big demand in the Premier League.

“But he wants to be a part of the group first, and then he’ll have to earn the right to be considered a starter.

“I think he’s satisfied with being back at the club at the moment, that’s his focus.

“I don’t think he’s over-thinking anything else.

“He knows generally we’re making a good fist of things in the Premier League, he’s certainly no mug in football terms, but I was pleased he came in and delivered a good performance and looked nice and fit.

“Him and (Steven) Defour began to grip the game as it wore on – the whole team did, I was super-pleased with that, the last 10-15 minutes we were progressive and tried to take the tie.”

The Stadium of Light stalemate was Burnley’s 11th away from home this season without a win, but it was only a third clean sheet over 90 minutes on the road and they created enough changes to have won the game in the north east.

“We’ve had some plusses in our performances away from home,” said Dyche. “We know we’re not the real deal, but we could have got something at Spurs, West Ham – there is life in our away performances and early season I didn’t think there was.

“I made that clear, I didn’t think we were good enough. But we did enough to win the (Sunderland) game, that’s for sure.”