Reading needed to match the result gained by Brighton, but the Seagulls got a late winner at Forest leaving Reading in seventh place.
After the game their manager Nigel Adkins said: "I said to the players after the game that they should bottom up the horrible feeling. I've experienced euphoria in my career but you also need to feel the hurt so it galvanises you and gives you the perseverance to keep going when things go against you.
"It was a low dressing room and not a nice feeling when you don't achieve what you set out to do."
Looking at the game, he added: "It was a good game. We should have had a penalty in the first couple of minutes, then Jobi (McAnuff) forced a good goal. Then for the rest of the first half Burnley demonstrated what a good side they are.
"In the second half we did really well. Garath McCleary scored a wonder goal and it was evenly balanced.
"We were in the ascendancy in the second half, creating chances and then lo and behold Brighton score at the death. It was too late for us to do anything differently because we were already on top in the game. We were looking to win the game anyway, we were on the front foot for a lot of the second half.
"It was a good performance, a good game, but it's not enough to get us where we wanted to get to.
"We were well aware of the other game but concentrating on our own performance because we were on the front foot. We changed the shape, created some opportunities and the goalkeeper made some top saves.
"Pav (Pogrebnyak) had a double deflection on his one, then there was a great pass from Hal (Robson-Kanu) to put Garath (McCleary) in, and the keeper stopped it with his outstretched foot. On another day they go in, but it wasn't that day today."
Sean Dyche's first full season as Burnley manager is at an end, and what a season it's been. A total of 93 points has taken us into second place and automatic promotion and was pleased with the way we played.
Caught up in the drama of that play-off chase for Reading and how it went wrong for them right at the end, he said: "It can sometimes happen like that, with events happening elsewhere, but I thought it was important we focused on our performance, and generally I was quite pleased.
"The second half they had us on the back foot a little bit, some of it our own doing, but I thought we were certainly good value to be 2-1 up and had we got a third the game would have been dead.
"I thought the response was as we've come to expect. That mentality to win and achieve was on show again."
He added: "We've only been beaten five times and there's been some incredible stats this season. We all know about them and we've all enjoyed them.
"I was pleased to come away with at least a point here as I thought that was important for the mentality of the team. I believe in what I do myself, and what the players and staff do.
"You can't guarantee it but I thought we could challenge and be realistic in what we could do this season, and what we could achieve.
"The same markers have always been there. I knew I could create a team that could compete, and once you get a team competing, it's down to the players and the staff to reinforce all the good work that they've done and we've certainly come a long way."