BURNLEY manager Owen Coyle admits his first Turf Moor defeat was hard to stomach.

But after digesting Tuesday night's match against QPR, he is hoping to toast victory today with a win over Preston North End.

Coyle has enjoyed a fantastic start to his tenure as Burnley boss, with three wins away from home to promotion chasing Watford, Charlton and Wolves, two draws and a single defeat at Turf Moor.

However, as his close friend and Partick Thistle manager Ian McCall has previously revealed, the former St Johnstone manager is a bad loser.

And even though it's more than three days since Luigi De Canio's left East Lancashire with all three points, Coyle revealed the defeat still hurt.

He said: "I learned that the taste of defeat doesn't get any better.

"It was a horrible feeling, I stressed that to the players - after the feeling we had at Watford, Charlton and Wolves.

"But I've got nothing but praise for them and there's certainly no criticism from me.

"To play the standard we have set for six games one after another is always going to be a big ask.

"But we have to make sure that if we do climb the ladder and then drop, we only drop a couple of notches and we don't fall off the ladder completely."

A team that has almost fallen off the ladder compared to the high standards set in previous seasons is today's opponents Preston, who, like Burnley, have also changed their manager this season, with Paul Simpson being replaced at Deepdale by Alan Irvine.

And although David Moyes' former assistant has struggled in his new managerial role, Coyle was confident his fellow Scotsman would turn around North End's fortunes - hopefully after after today's Lancashire derby!

He added: "I'm very surprised where Preston are in the league, because they have got some terrific players.

"That is the nature of the Championship, but you know if you do go on a run, you're capable of moving up, or down, quite easily.

"I am surprised where they are, but I'm more concentrated on us because we know, on their day, they can be a very good team.

"I've know doubts Alan (Irvine) will sort that out, and you will start seeing them move up the table.

"But we have to make sure it's not until after today."