‘BEST’ JOSH FOCUSES ON PROMOTION

By Chris Dunlavy

BURNLEY skipper Josh Brown-hill believes he is playing the best football of his career for the title-chasing Clarets.

Pre-weekend, the 29-year-old midfielder had scored 13 goals this term to put himself in contention for both the Golden Boot and Championship Player of the Year.

But with Scott Parker’s side in the hunt for an instant return to the Premier League, there is only one bauble that matters to him.

“Individually, it’s absolutely the best season I’ve had as a player,” says Brownhill, who played for Preston and Bristol City before making a £9m move to Burnley in 2020, and clocked up his 400th league appearance in yesterday’s clash with Coventry.

“It’s not just the goals, it’s some of the performances as well. Every time I step on the pitch I feel really confident that I can affect the game and I feel like I’ve done that in most of them.

“I’m loving every minute of it and if that gets recognised, great. But there’s a prize at the end of it that will make it even better.”

Promotion – let alone the title – looked unlikely just a few months ago, as Burnley struggled to balance their incredible defensive record with scoring Sheffield United and Leeds.

SHOOTING STAR: Josh Brownhill scores for the Clarets against Watford

PICTURE: Alamy

By the end of January, ary, the Clarets had clocked up six 0-0draws at Turf Moor and there were even calls in some quarters for Parker to be sacked.

Yet the ‘Boring Burnley’ tag has vanished in recent weeks, with a slew of high-scoring wins and an unbeaten 26-game run eradicating an eight-point gap to Leeds ahead of the weekend.

“With the quality we’ve got, we always knew we were going to get to the point that we’re at now, where we look a threat at all times,” insists Brownhill.

“It was just believing in ourselves and getting that confidence.

“We had a new manager, a new style of play. We also had a lot of players who were new to the club, getting used to things and finding ways to express themselves.

“Over a period of time, that naturally happens.

“What we always had was the quality of our back four and goalkeeper. James Trafford is enough goals to challenge outstanding. So are the guys at the back.

“But to concede the goals that we have (11 in 39 games pre-weekend), I think that’s massively on the team as a unit. If someone gives the ball away, I’ve never seen a team sprint back as quickly to defend the goal, and you’ll see that any time you watch us.

Form

“Now we’re putting everything together and I’d probably say we’ve hit form – especially attacking-wise – at the perfect time.”

Just two points separated the top three teams prior to yesterday’s fixtures, and such is the consistency on show at the division’s summit that Brownhill believes the unlucky loser could amass one of the highest points totals in Championship history.

“It’s what people want to see, isn’t it?” says Brownhill, who is out of contract at the end of the season.

“It’s up for grabs, great entertainment value, big games every week. But for us it’s quite stressful going in after a win and seeing everyone else has won as well!

“It just shows the standard of the three teams, which is incredible. It’s obviously going to be difficult for whoever doesn’t make it, knowing you’ve got close to 100 points, had a brilliant season and still have to go through the playoffs.

“But at the end of the day, if we win every game from now until the end of the season, we’ll get promoted. If you’d offered us that position at the start of the season, we’d all have snapped your hand off.”