Burnley boss Sean Dyche believes the four-match ban handed to Andre Gray helped his side overcome Watford on Monday night.

On the weekend, the Clarets striker was suspended by the FA for homophobic Twitter posts dating back to 2012 and while Dyche does not condone the player's actions, he does feel the ban has brought his squad closer together.

Burnley defeated the Hornets 2-0 at Turf Moor to secure their second victory of the season thanks to goals from Jeff Hendrick and Michael Keane.

Dyche said of the triumph: "We had a big knock this week with Andre.

"To make it clear we of course think the tweet was unacceptable. But it's fair to say we're disappointed for a four-game ban, very disappointed.

"Sir Dave Brailsford (British cycling coach) is famous for his 'one per centers', well Andre is missing 12 per cent of our games now. It's a hard one to take but the decision is made and we have to get on with it and be ready, and tonight we were ready.

"They didn't just step up for that reason but sometimes there's a galvanising thing that happens to a group."