Mid-season report: Burnley

And the award for Surprise Package in the Championship so far in 2013-14 goes to... Burnley!

The Clarets snuck into the top half on the final day of last season but lost their lead goalscorer in Charlie Austin to big-spending Queens Park Rangers over the summer.

The incomings did little to excite, but manager Sean Dyche has found a winning formula and his side are challenging right at the top of the table as 2014 begins.

Here, Sports Mole remembers a fantastic first half of the season.

August

The loss of Austin was a huge blow to Burnley but Dyche cleverly added the likes of Tom Heaton, David Jones and Scott Arfield for free and all three would become mainstays in his promotion-challenging squad.

Burnley kicked off proceedings in the Football League with a local derby against Bolton Wanderers as part of the 125th anniversary celebrations. Danny Ings scored what would be his first of many to put the Clarets ahead before Bolton pegged them back for a draw on a sunny day at Turf Moor.

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Next were victories over Sheffield Wednesday and Yeovil Town before a first loss of the campaign on the road at Brighton & Hove Albion.

Burnley wouldn't suffer defeat again for over three months.

August ended with a rampant 3-0 victory away at Derby, leaving the Clarets in third place after the first month.

In the League Cup, Burnley progressed to the third round thanks to clean-sheet victories over lower-league sides York City and Preston North End.

September

The 10th month began with a careless draw at home to Blackburn Rovers. After Junior Stanislas had spectacularly put Burnley ahead, calamitous defending saw Blackburn steal an equaliser late on. A disappointing result, yes, but Burnley would charge up the table by recording seven straight victories from then on.

In the rest of September, Birmingham City, Leeds United and Charlton Athletic were the Clarets' victims as Ings and strike partner Sam Vokes found the net with regularity while the defence held firm.

The performances even earned Dyche the Manager of the Month award as his side sat just three points behind QPR at the summit.

They also made it to the fourth round of the League Cup as Ings scored a match-winning brace to knock out Nottingham Forest.

October

Even though September was superb, October would be even better as Burnley won all four league games in the month, conceding just one goal and even that was an own goal by Jason Shackell against Reading.

Doncaster Rovers and Ipswich Town were the other sides to fall at the hands of Dyche's men before a top-of-the-table showdown against QPR.

Burnley had opened up a two-point gap at the summit ahead of the match and would extend that to three as they cruised past a lacklustre QPR thanks to another Ings double, with Leicester City moving up to second and keeping just within touching distance of the Clarets.

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Dyche claimed Manager of the Month again and this time was joined by Ings, who collected the Player award.

Despite their success in the league, Burnley wouldn't reach the quarter-finals of the League Cup as they went down to Premier League side West Ham United.

November

October may have been out of this world, but November would bring Burnley back to Earth as their run of seven straight victories came to an end in what would be a winless month.

Either Ings or Vokes scored in all four games but their firepower wasn't enough as draws against Millwall, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest were followed by defeat at Huddersfield Town - the club's first loss since August.

However, Leicester and QPR would also slip up in the 11th month and Burnley were still just three points off the top going into December.

December

The final month of 2013 started with another draw at home to Watford before the Clarets returned to winning ways by just about squeezing past lowly Barnsley, a result that would see them back on top.

Next was a big'un as Burnley travelled to Leicester. David Nugent put the hosts ahead early and they looked like bagging a second before Ings tucked home a Kieran Trippier cross to equalise. A point each meant that QPR had their turn at the summit.

December finished with a victory over Blackpool, defeat at Middlesbrough and draw at Wigan, leaving Dyche's side four adrift of Leicester, who won three straight in December after the draw against the Clarets.

Burnley got their 2014 off to a winning start yesterday by getting revenge on Huddersfield, meaning that Leicester are still not far clear.

In our season preview we felt that Burnley would have enough quality to avoid a relegation battle but be nowhere near where they are now. Dyche and his players have proved us and many others wrong. Their lofty position may see some transfer activity as they don't want to get left behind if the likes of QPR and Leicester start flashing the cash.

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There are also sure to be Premier League enquiries for likes of Ings and perhaps Trippier, who has been the stand-out right-back in the division so far, supplying eight assists for his teammates.

Although they've fallen behind Leicester, the feel-good factor is certainly still at Turf Moor and if a playoff place isn't now achieved it will be a huge disappointment.