Former Burnley boss Sean Dyche has admitted he was surprised by the timing of his dismissal at Turf Moor.

Dyche's near-decade long reign at Burnley was ended just under a month ago with the Clarets stuck in the relegation zone, four points from safety at the time.

Under an interim coaching staff led by the club's Under-23s coach Mike Jackson, Burnley have taken 10 points from five matches and sit just outside the bottom three with three games to go, level on points with 18th-placed Leeds having played one game less.

“By the time it comes around the only question mark, and I spoke openly to Alan (Pace, chairman), who is a good guy, I was amazed by the timing because it is Friday and we lost on the Sunday," Dyche told his former Millwall team-mate Richie Sadlier on the Second Captains podcast.

“So the surprise was the timing, not so much that it could happen. The fact it came my way, I haven't got magic dust. One day it does come your way."

Asked if he could understand the decision, Dyche admitted Burnley had perhaps lost their edge – something arguably demonstrated by the immediate uptick in form under Jackson, who got a point in his first game at West Ham before three straight wins.

“I sensed over the season the knife edge of success and failure at clubs like Burnley is quite obvious because winning and losing is marginal," Dyche said. “It starts to affect the psyche and the feel starts changing.

“I thought we were losing our edge, not the understanding or organisation, there is an edge that players have to play with.

“What you notice with a lot of groups, including ours when we come and go out and they have bolt and win the game straight after, it is almost like someone lifts everything up off you."