OWEN Coyle has promised that Burnley will continue to play an attacking style of football when they take their place in the Premier League next season.

The Clarets were widely praised for their ambition throughout their whirlwind promotion season, which saw them win the Championship play-offs after enjoying success in both the Carling Cup and the FA Cup.

Coyle has always held the belief that his sides should play attractive, passing football and instructed his players to continue such attacking play throughout the campaign - even when they were faced with tricky away ties against the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.

The Scot knows the size of the task facing Burnley during their first season in the top flight for 33 years, and promoted sides have often sacrificed the ambition that served them so well in the Championship for a more cautious approach in the Premier League.

But Coyle, who also knows the importance of getting off to a good start after they opened the 2008/09 season with heavy defeats to Sheffield Wednesday and Ipswich Town, will resist the temptation to go on the defensive as the Clarets bid to gain results against the big boys on a regular basis.

“We hope we don’t get the same start because we lost 4-1 on the opening day and then 3-0 the following week this season,” he said, “When it comes about, we’ll look at it. But we’ll try to remain true to our principles, we’ll try to get the ball down and play, and play in the right way.

“We’ll see where it takes us.”

Burnley are already 1/2 favourites for relegation and Coyle knows few outsiders will fancy them to get results in the top flight.

But the Clarets were not tipped for promotion during 2008/09 and upset the odds by beating five Premier League teams in the cup competitions.

“When it comes about there’s no doubt it’s going to be difficult but it’s a challenge we’ll relish,” said the boss.

“But I think we showed over the season that we love being the underdogs.

“Every game we enter next season, we’ll be the underdog for it, home and away.”