Burnley dismiss Nicky Hayen after 4-1 Lincoln defeat leaves club in bottom three

Burnley have dismissed head coach Nicky Hayen after 14 matches in charge following a 4-1 defeat at Lincoln that left them in the Championship relegation zone. The Guardian reported that the club announced his departure with immediate effect, citing their disappointing start to the league campaign in a brief statement from the board.

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Hayen arrived in the summer as the permanent replacement for Scott Parker, who had left in April with Burnley heading towards relegation from the Premier League. The Belgian’s spell produced only one victory outside penalty shootouts, a 4-0 league win at Watford on 10 October. Burnley had been expected to challenge for promotion after going up in each of their previous two Championship seasons.

The defeat at Lincoln came despite Burnley taking the lead through Andréas Hountondji. According to The Guardian’s Championship roundup, Ben House equalised just before half-time, before the home side scored three times after the break. Mikkel Ladefoged struck twice, with a Dom Jefferies goal between his efforts, as Burnley’s early advantage became another heavy loss. Supporters directed banners and chants at Hayen and the board.

There had been moments of resistance early in his tenure. Burnley progressed past Notts County on penalties in the Carabao Cup in his first match and recovered from two goals behind in the final seven minutes to draw their league opener against West Ham. Those results were followed by heavy defeats at West Brom and Norwich, either side of a penalty-shootout cup exit at Bradford.

A home defeat by Wolves the previous weekend, in which the visitors came from behind, had already increased the pressure on Hayen. Speaking after the Lincoln match but before his dismissal was announced, he apologised to supporters and acknowledged their criticism. He said results had not been good enough and recognised that another difficult defeat would give the board a decision to consider.

The club subsequently ended his tenure rather than allowing him more time to reverse the run. Its statement, quoted by The Guardian, attributed the decision to the Championship start. The dismissal leaves Burnley facing a managerial change with the immediate league position sharply at odds with the promotion expectations that had accompanied their return to the division.