SEAN Dyche believes Burnley have learnt plenty 'on and off the pitch' from their European campaign.

The Clarets fell at the final hurdle in their bid to reach the Europa League group stages, losing 4-2 to Olympiakos in a controversial play-off round tie.

That was the end of a tumultuous six-week period for Dyche and his side, with the Clarets playing on six successive Thursday nights as a result of last season's seventh place finish.

Having seen off Aberdeen and Istanbul Basaksehir via four draws in 90 minutes and two extra-time successes, Burnley were dumped out by the Greek giants despite a fine effort to overturn a 3-1 first lg deficit at Turf Moor last week.

Dyche believes the hectic campaign, the Clarets first in Europe in 51 years, can only be a benefit to his side and he highlighted the determination within the ranks - as evidenced on the pitch last Thursday - to keep the run going as a positive.

"I think we’ve learned a lot on and off the pitch, and I think you saw a side that wanted it to carry on," he said of the second leg draw with Olympiakos.

“That’s important, considering how many of you have been saying no one wants it.

“That’s our mentality, we want to win every game we play.

“There’s been a lot of learning curves for me, my staff and the players."

One learning curve has been the way games in Europe are officiated.

UEFA appointed one of their most experienced referees in Viktor Kassai to the second leg with Olympiakos at Turf Moor and it showed in the standard of decisions.

Previous ties had featured controversial decisions, none more than so than in the Karaiskakis Stadium in Athens, when Dyche complained about the half-time intimidation of Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic after he had turned down two penalty appeals for the hosts in the opening 45 minutes.

In the second half he awarded Olympiakos a dubious penalty for handball against Ben Gibson and sent the Clarets defender off for a second yellow card.

Dyche also highlighted the pitch invasion from the Olympiakos bench at Turf Moor when Daniel Podence scored late on, but said he would learn from how games were officiated.

"Interesting is the word I’d use, very interesting at Olympiakos. Apparently you’re allowed to run on the pitch now, I’ve learned that, that must be a UEFA directive," Dyche said.

“I’ll remember that if we get through again, I’ll run on the pitch if we score, that must be an applied rule.

"But you do learn. We saw in the World Cup the amount of cheating, but no one really wants to affect it, I’ve been going on about it for years.

"You have to learn that. We’re not green to it, I don’t want my players to get involved, but I think mine and my staff’s conduct. We try and control our conduct.

"I did nearly get sent to the stand over there for going two yards outside my technical area, but no one did tonight, or over there."