SEAN Dyche remained firmly on the fence when he was asked how Premier League survival this season compared to the Clarets' successes last term.

The Burnley boss has guided his side to successive top flight seasons for the first time in over four decades this year and in the end safety was achieved with something to spare, with the Clarets finishing six-points clear of the bottom three.

It was another memorable Turf Moor campaign, a year after Dyche had taken Burnley to the Championship title via a 23-game unbeaten league run.

But he found it difficult to say which achievement ranked higher, although he believes his side were written off as relegation certainties this season, while they were expected to be around the promotion shake-up a year ago.

"It's tough to call," the Turf boss said when asked to compare the achievements.

"Last season we were given a chance, we had a good push at it in the Premier League, came out of it, signed some good players but lost some good players, and I think people thought we had a chance. This season, I think people gave us no chance.

"Not because there's an angle about me or the club, just that 'they've been promoted, they don't spend radical amounts of money and it's going to be tough.'"

Just how tough was illustrated by the fate of the sides who had come up with Burnley a year ago.

Both Middlesbrough and Hull City made immediate returns to the Championship and they suffered bruising campaigns, with changes in the dugout at both clubs before relegation was confirmed ahead of the final weekend of the season for both.

Meanwhile Burnley could have stayed up on 35 points, a tally they had achieved with seven games still to go in the season after victory over Stoke City.

"Two of the teams who came up have gone down, and before the season ended," said Dyche. "We stayed up a couple of weeks ago, so it's been a very pleasing season in a different way."

But while survival in the Premier League is always going to rank highly, it doesn't come complete with any silverware, unlike last season.

Winning the Championship may not rank as highly but it did come with a trophy and medals, sparking wild scenes of celebrations in the early weeks of last May.

But Dyche admits this season brings a different kind of satisfaction, especially when it comes to planning for the future and allowing the club to take another step forward over the summer.

"Last season, the great thing is you get something for it, you win a trophy, the great things that brings," the Clarets chief said.

"In a strange way, this season is a great feeling because the club can be secure and move forward, all the plans put in place can continue to grow, because of the finance involved.

"Different kinds of challenges, both significant achievements."