Burnley sack Nicky Hayen after 14 games following 4-1 loss at Lincoln City
Nicky Hayen has been sacked by Burnley after 14 games in charge, the club announced within two hours of Saturday's 4-1 defeat at Lincoln City at the ProAmpac Stadium.
Hayen was appointed on 10 July to succeed Scott Parker, who left at the end of April days after the Clarets' relegation from the Premier League was confirmed. The Belgian coach had won the Belgian title with Club Brugge in 2024 and was brought in by owner Alan Pace to oversee a promotion bid. Burnley had secured promotion in their last two Championship campaigns in 2023 and 2025, a point the club cited when making changes to their head-coach position.
Hayen's final match was Saturday's 4-1 defeat at Lincoln City, in which the hosts came back from 1-0 down to win. The result was Burnley's sixth defeat of the campaign and followed a run of mixed results since the start of the season. The match took place at the ProAmpac Stadium and prompted immediate action from the club's hierarchy.
Burnley announced the decision to dismiss Hayen with a short two-sentence statement issued within two hours of the loss. Speaking in his post-match press conference, Hayen said: "I'm not going to lose my energy because this is something out of my hands" with reference to his future. The quote was delivered directly after the defeat and preceded the club's brief public statement.
Burnley's campaign had begun with a promising draw with West Ham on the opening weekend but form subsequently deteriorated. The Clarets earned a first win of the season earlier this month as they returned from the extended international break to beat Watford 4-0, then drew against Charlton and lost to Wolves, scoring first in both matches. The side have also failed to record a league home win since beating Leeds United at Turf Moor in the Premier League over a year ago.
The decision to part company with Hayen follows a longer-term slump: Burnley have won just one of their past 24 league games and have conceded 25 goals from their opening 12 Championship games, the worst record in the division. The 4-1 defeat at Lincoln left Burnley 22nd in the Championship.
