Owen Coyle played down talks of a tunnel bust-up after an explosive end to the season at Turf Moor.

Police raced into the tunnel to keep apart Andrew Cole and Darren Purse after the Cardiff defender had been sent off late in the game for a horror tackle.

Cole was left needing 10 stitches to a deep wound to the right leg in the incident, which came in the dying minutes of the 3-3 draw.

Coyle said: "I am hoping at the best that the tackle was mis-timed because it was a stupid and dangerous challenge - especially coming so late in the game.

"It merited a red card and you need to see the state of Andrew's leg. It's beyond belief because it's not just a gash, there is actually a chunk missing.

"The doctor had a look at it straight away and instructed him to go in and get it stitched and that's it.

"A few people ran into the tunnel on the back of that and to be honest, I was waiting for the music to come on for the Benny Hill Show.

"In the end, it was the same as Benny Hill, where nothing happens!"

Coyle added: "The nature of football is very passionate and people will put two and two together, but on this occasion they have come up with five.

"Having gone in at the end, there was nothing untoward to report."

Burnley squandered a two-goal lead to the Bluebirds, then thought they had won it through Clarke Carlisle's late header.

However, Steven Caldwell's late own goal summed up the Clarets season to leave the gaffer feeling frustrated.

He said: "I thought we merited three points and I do feel hard done by to only pick up a point, but there is no getting away from the fact we haven't defended well.

"I can't actually recall Brian Jensen having a save to make, yet we have conceded three goals!

"So we, as a unit, have to work better as a unit defending and we will do that in the close season.

At 2-0 up we were cruising and it's just a lack of concentration. Their penalty looked soft, but it was given and then Graham Alexander made a mistake, which he knows.

"But we showed we had great desire to get ourselves in front again and then the third goal is very cheap."

Coyle handed a first team debut to 18-year-old striker Alex MacDonald, who was given a rapturous ovation as he made a late appearance.

Coyle explained: "It is great to get one of your own on the pitch; someone who the supporters can identify with and he did himself no harm at all.