"In a worse state" - Burnley FC told it's "imperative" they're promoted this season | OneFootball

FLW's Burnley fan pundit has his say on the club's current state compared to this time last year.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Scott Parker’s Burnley closed the gap between themselves and the Championship’s automatic promotion places on Friday night thanks to a 4-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday.

A clinical second-half display from the Clarets saw them demolish the visitors with goals coming from Marcus Edwards, Josh Brownhill, Connor Roberts, and Manuel Benson.

Burnley now sit just two points behind Sheffield United and four behind second-tier table-toppers Leeds, ahead of their huge promotion ‘six-pointer’ at Bramall Lane on Monday.

Friday night’s victory was a crucial one to maintain the Lancashire outfit’s promotion ambitions, as they were able to strike a vital early blow this weekend ahead of Monday’s massive clash.

Burnley are believed to be in a worse state than last year

Given the number of top-quality sides there are at the top of the Championship this season, it was always going to be more challenging to secure promotion than the last time they were in the division.

Burnley raced to the Championship title with over 100 points back in 2022/23, but after relegation from the Premier League last term, it’s proving to be a much tougher task this time around.

Several key player sales in the latter stages of Burnley’s summer window certainly haven’t helped their cause, and multiple players with top-flight experience have now departed the club.

With that in mind, we spoke to FLW’s resident Clarets fan pundit, Will Lancaster, to find out whether he believes Burnley are in a better or worse state than they were this time last year.

Will said: “I would say we’re in a worse state. But it’s not by much. We had a lot more talent at the club last year with the likes of Sander Berge, Wilson Odobert, Zeki Amdouni and Dara O’Shea. As we saw in the first few games of the season, if Burnley had kept those players we’d have arguably been top of the league by now.

“We beat Luton 4-1, then Cardiff 5-0 and then there was that mass exodus. I get that that had to happen because you’ve got to keep in the green in terms of finances once you come down (from the Premier League). I think the way we started the season, with all those players who had massive valuations, you just would have expected us to do a little bit better."

As has come to be expected of clubs who are chasing Premier League football, Will placed huge importance on achieving promotion for the club’s fortunes. He continued: “If we don’t go up this season it’s likely that we’ll sell Maxime Esteve and James Trafford and yes, we’ll get big fees for them, but the overall state of the squad, especially if Josh Brownhill and Connor Roberts leave, is looking a lot worse.

“It is almost imperative that we do go up really. That being said, there is still a lot of young talent in the team – Hannibal Mejbri, CJ Egan-Riley, Bashir Humphreys, Lyle Foster and Luca Koleosho are all players who will have decent valuations behind them.

“But yes, I think this time last year we had Premier League status and if we don’t go up, it could maybe spell a little bit of trouble.”

Burnley’s promotion chances hinge on their defensive record

Given the fact that they have scored less than Leeds and Sheffield United (who are likely their sole rivals for automatic promotion now), Burnley’s astonishing defensive record will have to continue if they are to finish in the top two.

Parker’s men have conceded just nine goals in the league all season, a staggeringly low total. They have kept 25 clean sheets, a tally which is five higher than the next highest total.

That record is surely going to have to continue if they are to successfully chase down one of the two Yorkshire outfits who are currently leading the league.

Burnley do have a favourable run of games coming up and, given that at least one of Leeds and the Blades will drop points on Monday night, the next few weeks could be the opportunity Burnley need to cut the gap even further.

Games against Cardiff, Luton and Swansea within their next four league outings represent a perfect opportunity for the Clarets to take maximum points and continue their 21-game unbeaten run in the league.

That said, with Chris Wilder’s Blades to visit Turf Moor just three games from the season’s close, it could go right down to the final weeks of the campaign before their fate is decided.