OWEN Coyle hailed a “magnificent” three points, after his depleted Burnley side defied the odds to beat high-flying Reading.

Brian Jensen produced a string of superb saves to pave the way for substitute Robbie Blake to score an 81st-minute winner and extend the Clarets’ unbeaten home run to eight games.

And it was a real triumph over adversity after central defender Clarke Carlisle failed a late fitness test and right back Michael Duff was ruled out with illness, while left back Christian Kalvenes was carried off during the game.

“I’ve got no doubts about it.

"Given the circumstances before the game and indeed during the game, it summed up everything I know about that group of players; about their desire and the spirit they’ve got for each other and how keen they are to do well for themselves and the football club,” said a delighted Coyle.

“To lose Clarke Carlisle with a fitness test before the game, and Michael Duff had been vomiting the whole night before, we had to reshuffle the whole team, and we changed our system.

“I thought Reading started the first 10 minutes in the ascendancy, which is understandable given that we changed a lot of things about.

“Even within the game, Christian Kalvenes came off injured and Chris McCann ends up at left centre back. Not that we needed any convincing, but if we did I think that summed up everything about the spirit and the hunger they’ve got to do well for the football club.

“It’s a magnificent three points.

“We’ve lost one now in 14 and that was against Reading at the Madejski. We felt hard done by then because we felt we’d offered an awful lot to that game, so it was nice to get the rewards in terms of the points tonight.”

Yet while goalkeeper Jensen was the unanimous choice for the man of the match award, Coyle admitted he was not surprised by the Dane’s heroics.

“I think he replicated in the game what he does every day in training.

“Diego (Penny) and Gabor (Kiraly) are working around him on a daily basis and pushing him on and he's shown what we all believe, that he's a quality goalkeeper.

“He’s there to make saves and he's done that tonight.

“I think sometimes when you do come under pressure, for a club like ourselves to stand toe-to-toe with teams like Reading, who have immense quality, as we did speaks volumes for the players.”

And he praised the performances of his substitutes, particularly Blake’s cameo role, which influenced another win for the second Tuesday in a row.

“We’re never going to settle for 0-0, particularly at home when we have been doing so well and we believe we’re capable of winning our home games,” he said.

“A couple of substitutions we made were positive as well.

"Robbie came on and young Jay Rodriguez again because Martin Paterson and Thommo (Steven Thompson) had worked their socks off, and they've given us that fresh impetus.

“We could have scored again on the counter-attack when Reading were committing men forward.

“We’re delighted to get the three points; they were hard earned and well fought for, so it’s very nice.

“Brian made a couple of big saves in the second half and they hit the woodwork, but I think on the balance of play we had as many chances as Reading had, and a sublime finish from Robbie, which we know he's capable of.

"We know the quality.”