BURNLEY manager Eddie Howe has called for an immediate response to their second defeat of 2012.

The Clarets host Barnsley at Turf Moor tomorrow night just three days after losing 2-0 to promotion favourites Southampton.

Howe felt they were beaten by the better team at St Mary’s Stadium on Saturday, but was disappointed his side didn’t give a good account of themselves.

And he has urged them to make the most of an early opportunity to bounce back, and prove their top six credentials.

“It was one of those afternoons where you have to give South-ampton credit, they’re a good side, as good as anything we’ve played this year, but we have to look at ourselves and ask could we have done better?” said the Burnley boss.

“Both phases of our play – defending and attacking – weren’t quite right for whatever reason, so we’ll look at it.

“We weren’t our usual selves and we have to learn from it.

“We knew it was going to be probably our toughest game of the season with Southampton on a poor run and signing a couple of big players and getting others back fit.

“But we can’t dwell on it too long because we have another game against Barnsley now, so it’s ideal to try and bounce back.

“It’s the end of a good run, so we’ll have to start another one.”

Billy Sharp was credited with the second goal which effectively killed the game off, although the ball came off defender Ben Mee and wrong-footed goalkeeper Lee Grant, after Adam Lallana had put Saints in front with an early header.

It was the second placed side’s first win of the calendar year and first home win since Boxing Day.

For Burnley, it was their second defeat in nine league games, and the first time they had lost away to Southampton in 35 years.

The manner of defeat was what most frustrated Howe, who said: “The first half was as poor as we’ve played for a long time.

“We did better in the second half but Southampton were too strong for us.”

But after the gap between them and sixth placed widened to five points, the Burnley boss insists his players cannot afford to dwell on their disappointment for too long and instead re-focus on the bigger picture.

“We’ve got to prepare well for Barnsley, which will be a difficult game. But it’s a good game for us on the back of this, which was a poor performance, and we’ve got to hit the ground running,” he said.

“If we look to win all our home games between now and the end of the season there are still all possibilities available to us. We’re still in a tight group looking to chase that top six, so I don’t think we should get too down on this one.

“It’s not great because you want to win, but if anything it serves as a motive again to say ‘we’ve got to demand more from ourselves every day’.”