BURNLEY launched a second-half fightback as they came from behind to draw 1-1 at Nottingham Forest in an entertaining pre-season friendly at the City Ground.

Andre Gray levelled the game just before the hour mark, with Dyche’s men finishing the game strong and may feel themselves unfortunate not to have won it late on.

But it was the hosts who had the better of the first-half, leading through a Daryl Murphy goal 11 minutes before the break, and the striker, and Forest, would have had a second moments after were it not for a fine Tom Heaton save.

Boss Sean Dyche will have been pleased to hand extended minutes to his side, with all but Jack Cork of the starting line-up completing at least an hour, while Tom Heaton, James Tarkowski and Stephen Ward all got through the full game.

Other positives for Dyche will have been his chance to look at two systems, and a number of personnel, with new boys Jon Walters and Cork among his side’s better performers.

Burnley started with a 4-3-3 formation, with Jon Walters and Ashley Barnes flanking Andre Gray in attack. There were early signs of promise, with Walters and Gray finding their way in behind in the opening 10 minutes, but they failed to make the most of their good movement.

Forest were certainly very adept at keeping the ball, their quartet of diminutive midfielders certainly seeing plenty of possession, but were struggling to find a way through a disciplined Clarets backline.

When they did, Zach Clough was wasteful from the edge of the box, firing over in the 14th minute after finding a pocket of space on the edge of Burnley’s box.  Tom Heaton was also able to watch an effort past the post from former Claret Tendayi Darikwa, making his Reds debut after his move from Turf Moor earlier this week.

Burnley’s best move of the opening half would have brought the opener were it not for a combination of a fingertip save from Jordan Smith and the crossbar.  Jack Cork pinched possession on the edge of his own box and broke forward before feeding Gray.  He in turn looked up to find an unmarked Walters, with his header tipped on to the bar and away.

Then, in the space of a frantic two minutes, the hosts took the lead, and somehow didn’t double it.  Daryl Murphy grabbed the opening goal after 34 minute, turning in Ben Osborn’s left-wing cross from inside the six yard after he was found by an excellent Barrie McKay pass.

Moments later, Murphy read an attempted Matt Lowton backpass, but after beating the onrushing Heaton to the ball, the keeper managed to get back and deny the follow-up effort from Forest’s number nine from inside the six yard box.

The ball just wasn’t falling for Burnley in the final third, with a number of crosses in to the box coming to nothing, in what was something of a frustrating opening period.

Forest continued to be the more inventive side at the start of the second half, with Joe Worrall seeing an effort blocked after a well worked short corner moments after the re-start.

But in need of a way back in to the game, Burnley found it just before the hour mark.  Matt Lowton may have rued his decision to square the ball across the face of goal, rather than shooting, without success before a similar ball moments later was turned in by Gray from inside the six yard box to finish off a neat move.

That drew the Clarets level, who sent on Robbie Brady and Scott Arfield and their intorductions provided them with some extra width.  Burnley were growing in confidence, and a neat flowing move with 20 minutes to go, involving Arfield and Ward, ended with Gray’s side-footed effort only finding the gloves of Smith.

Forest’s threat had diminished after their substitutions, but one of them, Apostolos Vellios, may well have done better with his header from 10 yards out after meeting an Osborn delivery.

But it was Burnley who were coming on strong in the latter stages, Sam Vokes seeing an effort deflected behind, as Dyche’s men enjoyed plenty of territory as the game ticked in to the final 10 minutes.

Keen to impress after coming on, Johann Berg Gudmundsson and Phil Bardsley both had efforts before the whistle.  The Icelandic winger saw his well saved down low by Smith, while Bardsley’s whistled just over the top after again cutting in off the right flank.

Forest: Smith, Darikwa, Mancienne (Hobbs, 60), Worrall, Traore, Vaughan (Bouchalakis, 46), Osborn, Clough, Brereton (Ward, 46 (Vellios, 61)), McKay, Murphy (Cummings, 61)

Subs: Evtimov, Cohen, Lam

Burnley: Heaton, Lowton (Bardsley, 72), Tarkowski, Mee (Taylor, 76), Ward, Cork (Westwood, 46), Hendrick (Gudmundsson, 82), Defour (Arfield, 61), Walters (Vokes, 72), Barnes (Brady, 61), Gray (Agyei, 82)

Subs: Pope, Long, Anderson