SEAN DYCHE thinks Steve Agnew and Aitor Karanka are both wrong to suggest Burnley’s greater experience of the Premier League is what has set them apart from Middlesbrough this season.

The Clarets are effectively safe for another year in the top-flight with seven matches spare and they sit 12 points above Boro even though they both came up together in an automatic promotion place from the Championship last May.

Two years ago Burnley were heading back to the Football League after an unsuccessful campaign in the Premier League, but Dyche remained in charge and kept the core of his squad together to embark on another promotion charge.

Earlier this season Karanka claimed Burnley’s previous spell in the top tier was what has helped them to hit the ground running this time around, with Agnew suggesting similar before the weekend.

After Burnley took a point from the Riverside on Saturday, the comparisons were made again because Middlesbrough face a real uphill struggle to avoid relegation at the end of their first.

Dyche said: “I don't think it is just that experience of two years ago. It has helped and we have tried to recruit well. There is the understanding of what is required at this level.

“There is a growth in the players both mentally and physically. But it is so hard to measure because there is so much detail in every game. There really are tiny margins between succeeding and falling short.

“Those margins seem to be smaller in the Premier League. Here the margins become more important and even tighter. We have worked really hard to get on the right side of those margins.”

Agnew is faced with the challenge of turning Middlesbrough around after the failure to win any of their last 13 matches, dating back to before Christmas.

The goalless draw with Burnley has reduced the gap to safety to six points with seven matches remaining, but the challenge remains a tough one given the difficulty of the games coming up.

Dyche has warned that it is not easy to bounce straight back up to the Premier League like Burnley did last season, though.

“The Championship is fraught with trouble,” he said. “To keep that consistency enough to get yourself out of it is hard. Both physically and mentally. It is hard to focus every week.

“The Premier League is more difficult because of the quality of the opposition. There are longer periods between games. But you need more detail in your planning. Winning promotion the second time straight after relegation, that really felt a big achievement.”

Agnew is four games into his managerial reign as Middlesbrough’s head coach and is not thinking about the Championship at this stage.

He will lead his team into battle against Arsenal a week on Monday believing they can still pull of an escape act in the final seven matches of the campaign – even if the gap to safety could have been even smaller after defeats for Swansea and Hull.

He said: “It is a missed opportunity, of course it is, but I thought it was a game we could have won and should have won. But we're six off it with a game extra to play so it's all to play for and still positive.

“I can't remember if we deserved it, I think maybe Victor Valdes had one save from Sam Vokes second half, I think, that was their only attempt on goal. When you think about the chances, Alvaro Negredo did everything right, scissor kick, left foot, lots of power behind it, great save. Stewart Downing steps up, does everything right, and Matt Lowton drops in near the post and sees it out for a corner.

“Those are things that have just not gone for us. But in terms of effort, attitude, commitment, energy, and I have to say the crowd were terrific, it was a proper team effort really. I thought we deserved the three points, I thought we deserved the goal and we live to fight for another day.”

Agnew is hoping full-back George Friend could be back to face the Gunners, while Gaston Ramirez should be fine by then after missing the last two matches through injury.