BURNLEY put on the perfect party as they marked Sean Dyche’s five years in charge of the club with a narrow win over Newcastle United.

This was a fitting way for the Clarets to mark Dyche’s anniversary. While his sides have occasionally been capable of the thrilling, they are renowned for their doggedness, their persistence and their ability to grind out the narrowest of victories. All of those traits were on show against the Magpies.

It was five years to the day since Dyche started work at Turf Moor, taking over a Clarets side marooned in mid-table in the Championship, looking over their shoulders rather than up the table.

At that point, with Burnley conceding plenty of goals and memories of the 2009/10 Premier League campaign fading rapidly, few could have predicted the joy that would follow over the next half decade.

Dyche immediately shored up the Clarets rearguard before setting to work on building his own team. He rode through a difficult first seven months in the job, and the good times have followed.

There have been many days to remember under Dyche’s stewardship at Turf Moor, but for a long time it looked like this wasn’t going to be one of them.

The night before Halloween the two sides had served up an encounter lacking in tricks, until Jeff Hendrick’s goal provided the treat for Turf Moor.

It was a goal that owed much to the work of Steven Defour and Jack Cork, who had stood out once again in Burnley’s midfield and had been the star men for the hosts.

The Clarets started the brighter of the two sides, perhaps buoyed by the highlights reel of Dyche’s five years in charge played before kick-off, and within the first 40 seconds Hendrick had fired a half-volley across goal.

A couple of moments later Cork waltzed through a couple of challenges in midfield and almost teed up Ashley Barnes with a cross before former Accrington Stanley loanee Rob Elliot just managed to paw a cross behind as Barnes again waited to pounce.

But the Magpies soon began to enjoy a promising spell of their own, with Christian Atsu looking a threat down the left and he set-up a Jonjo Shelvey drive from 20 yards which was straight at Nick Pope

Having weathered what Newcastle had to throw at them Burnley were back on the front foot and Barnes headed wide from Robbie Brady’s deflected cross.

Both ‘keepers were called into action early in the second half, with Pope pushing Ayoze Perez’s curling 20-yarder from Joselu’s touch on around the post, before James Tarkowski powered a header from a Brady free-kick from deep straight at Elliot.

Turf Moor was getting restless as the Clarets struggled to impose themselves, with Defour’s shot from 20 yards deflected wide and Cork’s half-volley from even further out flying over.

The deadlock was broken with less than 20 minutes to go, and it was made by Cork and Defour.

The tireless Belgian midfielder won the ball back 25 yards from goal, allowing Cork to exchange passes with Johann Berg Gudmundsson and although his shot was saved by Elliot, Gudmundsson sent it back in to Hendrick, who had time to take a touch and fire home at the back post.

Rafael Benitez immediately looked to his bench, making three quick changes, but it was Joselu who came close to a leveller, dragging a shot from the edge of the box inches wide.

Barnes could have made the game safe for Burnley in the closing stages, only for Elliot to turn away his low drive from 20 yards.

There was still time for one more Pope intervention as he sprung to his right to turn away Isaac Hayden’s half-volley as Burnley held out and climbed to seventh in the table.