Coyle warns Burnley that EPL still a long way off

Owen Coyle has warned his Burnley squad that they still have a mountain to climb if they are to reach the summit of the Premier League.

The Lancashire club, one of the founding members of the Football League in 1888, have not played in the top tier of English football since 1976.

But they will be back there if they can overcome Sheffield United in the Championship play-off final on May 25 after a convincing 2-0 win over Reading here on Tuesday night.

Two stunning second-half goals from Martin Paterson and Steven Thompson secured a semi-final victory that sent Burnley to Wembley 3-0 on aggregate.

Coyle, a Scot who represented Ireland in his playing days, has endured a marathon season in which his side also reached the semi-finals of the League Cup and he made it clear he was determined to finish on a high.

“The prize is a place in the Premier League and that is what everyone wants but there is no place for celebration yet,” he said.

“We recognise we have not achieved our goal yet. We have earned ourselves a chance against Sheffield United which will be a formidable hurdle.

“But we have now played 60 games, used the least amount of players in the Championship, our average attendance is in the bottom three, our turnover is in the bottom four but we put ourselves on the line for each other and that is what this team is all about.

“We have gifted individuals but we achieve nothing without our work ethic.”

Coyle scored in a play-off final win against Reading for Bolton in 1995 and has not been back to Wembley since, meaning he has yet to experience the rebuilt 90,000-seater stadium.

“I haven’t seen the new one, I’ve not had time,” Coyle said. “We have only played 60 times since August you know. But there is no doubt about it that this is well up there in my achievements.”

Reading’s defeat will inevitably fuel speculation about the future of manager Steve Coppell, who is out of contract at the end of the season and has hinted that he may take a break from football.

The Royals’ season has been a draining one for Coppell with a bright start giving way to an end-of-campaign slump largely due to wretched home form.

“I don’t think any team has had more chances than us to get promoted,” Coppell admitted. “We’ve gone nine games without a win at home and if we’d won three of them we might be contemplating the Premier League.

“I can’t understand our home form and it was something I couldn’t solve which is what has cost us promotion. I apologise to the fans. A manager is judged on results and if I feel we have had the opportunities to go up and we haven’t done then it’s my fault.”

Coppell added: “I won’t be watching the final. I have no plan for the summer, I didn’t expect this to be on the agenda.”

Burnley had to weather a ferocious opening onslaught from Coppell’s side on Tuesday night but always looked the more likely winners as Reading failed to unlock the visitors’ resolute defence.

Paterson broke the deadlock six minutes after the restart and former Rangers striker Thompson quickly made sure of victory after Graham Alexander’s penalty had given the Lancashire club a first-leg advantage.

It was a fine choice as to which of the two goals was better, although Paterson may just have shaded it after picking the ball up inside his own half and advancing to within 30 yards of the goal before beating Marcus Hahnemann with a pure left-foot drive.

Seven minutes later, Reading’s defence failed to deal with a long punt into their territory and the ball fell to Thompson, on the left hand edge of the area.

The Scot reacted instinctively and his dipping volley left Hahnemann with no chance as it found its way into the net off the underside of the bar.