Burnley have mountain to climb to avoid relegation - Dyche

By Kieran Guilbert LONDON (Reuters) - Burnley have a mountain to climb to stay in the Premier League after a 1-0 defeat at West Ham United left them rooted to the bottom of the table, manager Sean Dyche said on Saturday. The Clarets, the favourites to go straight back down to the Championship after being promoted last season, were undone by Mark Noble's 24th-minute penalty at Upton Park. Defeat meant Dyche's side, who are eight points adrift of Leicester City in 17th, must win their remaining three games and hope other teams slip up in the run-in if they are to stay in the top flight. "The result leaves a big mountain to climb now – you're going into myths, legends and folklores," Dyche told reporters. "The team will keep going because I will keep going… I've never thrown in the towel in my career or my life, we'll bounce off the ropes and take another one." Burnley looked the more threatening side in the early stages but were reduced to 10 men in the 22nd minute when Michael Duff was sent off for bringing down Cheikhou Kouyate on the edge of the six-yard box. Dyche said the referee was right to award a penalty, but voiced his surprise at the sending-off. "It's a real sadness to me that at this stage of the season and in these vital games I'm having to speak about a referee's decision which quite obviously turned the way game panned out. "I think there was a stadium full of people who were amazed it was a sending-off. I can imagine their manager was surprised, their staff...subs... and groundsmen were certainly surprised it was a sending-off," Dyche said. West Ham controlled the game but failed to capitalise further on their numerical advantage and manager Sam Allardyce rued his side's wastefulness in front of goal. "We are short on goals -- 27 attempts and scoring with a penalty shows we were lacklustre in front of goal," Allardyce told reporters. "Our only weakness today was not converting more chances given the amount we created." West Ham, who have won just twice in their last 12 league matches, are ninth with 47 points from 35 games. (Editing by Ed Osmond)