SKIPPER Simon Francis has challenged his Cherries team-mates to emulate Burnley by fighting for a European spot next season.

Francis heaped praise on Clarets boss Sean Dyche after the Lancashire outfit had qualified for the Europa League.

Cherries visit Turf Moor on Sunday looking to end their third Premier League campaign with back-to-back victories.

And Francis, who will be hoping to captain Cherries to a second successive top-10 finish, believes there is no reason why the Dorset club cannot emulate Burnley's success.

He told the Daily Echo: "They have been consistent and have had great runs of form.

"They play a different style to us. Defensively, they look solid a lot of the time. They sit off teams and defend very well as unit.

"All credit to them this season, they have been excellent and Sean Dyche has done a fantastic job.

"Our aim next season must be to compete for a Europa League place.

"It is great to play teams who are in the Europa League, a position we thought we could be aiming for at the start of the season.

"We want to give a good account of ourselves, which would stand us in good stead for next season."

Although Cherries cannot beat last season's club record finishing position of ninth, Francis said securing a four successive season in the top flight should not be taken lightly.

"I think a fourth season in the Premier League is a huge achievement," he said.

"It probably shouldn't go unnoticed for the size of the club, the amount of fans we get, the stadium size and the football we play.

"A lot of credit goes to the manager. He sticks to his principles week in, week out.

"I have always spoken about the character and team spirit of the squad, which has been phenomenal. Long may it continue."

Burnley have won five of their past nine games and, despite shipping five at Arsenal last time out, they boast the fifth best defensive record in the Premier League.

In comparison, Cherries have conceded 60 goals and have the fourth worst record in the division.

Victory over Swansea five days ago saw them keep only a sixth clean sheet of the season and Francis admitted this was an area which had to improve.

He added: "It is something we need to address and, as a defender, I'm disappointed we haven't kept more. It is an area we need to improve because, normally, we have looked more solid.

"We are always looking to make improvements. It would have been nice to finish higher than last season – that was the ultimate aim.

"There are a lot of positives to take this season. There are also negatives and weaknesses we need to look at and strengthen. But we will come back next season and I'm sure we can out-do ourselves again."

When put to him that Cherries had never won at Burnley, Francis said: "It is all about history. We haven't beaten Southampton away from home and that was a big motivation for us, but it wasn't to be. We're always looking to break records so it will be a big incentive for us."