Before kick-off Tony Pulis and Sean Dyche shared a warm embrace and a joke before parting for their respective dugouts with wide smiles on their faces.
It is not known what was said, but after his forever-battling side eked out a narrow victory, Pulis is (joint) top of the league and is no doubt laughing again. Laughing at those who criticise his style, laughing at those who claim it is boring and laughing at those who spend millions more than he does without getting anywhere near the results he consistently provides.
Substitute Hal Robson-Kanu’s second-half strike was enough to win this dour affair, although the smile may have been taken off his manager’s face when Martin Atkinson showed the striker red for an innocuous-looking challenge on Burnley full back Matthew Lowton.