Sean Dyche revealed defender Kevin Long will miss the rest of the season after being carried away on a stretcher during the first half of the Clarets' 3-3 away draw in a New Year day's Premier League game against Newcastle. The Burnley boss confirmed Long ruptured his cruciate ligament after watching his side hold Tottenham to a 1-1 draw at home in Monday's FA Cup third-round game.
Long -- who joined Burnley in 2010 -- made his first Premier League appearance against Newcastle on New Year's day, when he replaced Jason Shackell after just 15 minutes. But he landed awkwardly 10 minutes before halftime and was carried off.
Dyche said the worst fears of Long and the club have been realised: "We didn't think it was a good incident when we saw it. Obviously, it is a blow to him. He got 20 minutes of Premier League football. It's what football sometimes throws at you."
However, Dyche said Long will have the right support structure at the club. Striker Sam Vokes -- who scored the 73rd-minute equaliser against Tottenham after coming on as a second-half substitute -- ruptured his cruciate ligament in March of last year.
"It's positive for Longy that he's got somebody who's just been through it, someone to talk him through it, and he knows he's got a support system in place that will get him through it," Dyche said.
Vokes' first goal in more than nine months, which canceled out Nacer Chadli's 56th-minute opener, was the highlight of a low-key game played in front of fewer than 10,000 home fans. The striker was one of Burnley's key players in their promotion from the Championship last season, and his return to scoring form bodes well for the Clarets' Premier League campaign.
"When someone's waited that amount of time to come back from a very serious injury, to come on and deliver a performance and get a goal is outstanding," Dyche said. "I thought he looked sharp in general, his movement was good for the goal, and we're absolutely delighted to see him back. He went down ill last week, missed three days with a virus, and if it wasn't for that, I might even have got him on the pitch from the start. It's very important we look after his recovery."
Tottenham appeared to be in control after Chadli's goal but paid the price for not scoring a second and were unable to convert a couple chances in stoppage time.
Dyche, whose only two changes to his starting lineup were forced by injury, put the game in perspective: "It was generally a lacklustre affair, particularly the first half. There was nothing much to talk about. It sprang into life slightly with them getting a goal. They were a little bit fortunate. It took two deflections on the way in. After that, we responded, and I thought we were quite lively in the last 20 minutes in the endeavour to try and win the game. That was everything we had in the building -- that's where we're down to. They made seven changes with 130 million pounds worth of talent on the pitch. In that respect, I'm very pleased."