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Parker wants Burnley to build on 'reaction' ahead of tough Sunderland trip

Scott Parker anticipates a “tough” test at Sunderland but hopes his Burnley side can replicate their performance against the Black Cats earlier in the season.

Josh Cullen and Jaidon Anthony got on the scoresheet in August as the Clarets secured their first points back in the Premier League.

But that result proved to be an outlier for Regis Le Bris’ side, who are sitting 11th in the table after a seamless transition to life back in the top flight.

It has been much tougher for the Clarets, who find themselves 19th in the table and 10 points from safety at this stage.

“They've done incredible, they've done really well,” said Parker. “Obviously, invested a huge amount of money and probably seeing a totally different squad to the squad they were last year. But they've done very, very well.

“I think momentum early on in the season when they picked up points has probably pushed them as well.

“Going to a tough place, we know. We went there last year, a stadium that is hostile, we know what we're coming up against.

“It will be a very different team to the one we faced, but we faced them already this year and got a positive result. So we're looking forward to that game on Monday.”

After a poor run, Parker’s squad have shown signs of life with draws against Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham from their last three league games.

It was nearly all three against Spurs after goals from Axel Tuanzebe and Lyle Foster, but Burnley hearts were broken by Cristian Romero’s bullet header in stoppage time.

“We were hugely disappointed after the game, obviously, to concede so late on, when you feel that the win's there,” the head coach reflected.

“And a real positive performance in the second half as well. You're that close to the three points, and coming off the back of two results previous to that, it would have been a perfect Saturday in perspective, when everything slows down a little bit.

Jaidon Anthony got on the scoresheet against Sunderland in August (Image: PA)

“We're coming off the back of three very good results, of course, and while we always want more, and we probably need more, no doubt.

“There's real momentum at this present moment in time, coming off the back of some good results, so we'll keep going.”

There was also a convincing win against Millwall in the FA Cup third round, and the Clarets chief has been pleased with the response since a miserable afternoon in Brighton.

“I definitely see a reaction from the players after Brighton,” he said. “I constantly refer to that because at that point, it was a stage in this season where we were on a losing streak and at that point it was fragile really.

“It was a young group that was fragile, and the reaction that I got from these players was key. I've definitely seen that reaction, hence why we've managed to pick up the points we've picked up.

“We keep working. We keep doing what we're doing here and hopefully we can get some more positive results.”

Despite the recent improvement, West Ham and Nottingham Forest both won last weekend and Burnley’s position became even more precarious.

Parker insists, now more than ever, it is important to block out the table and all the outside noise as his squad aims to get back to winning ways.

“Even more so now to be honest with you,” he insisted. “You look at that table and yeah, it doesn't look pretty.

“But you then look at the fixtures we have coming up. You focus on yourself, can you go and pick up some points? Can you get some positive results coming up with the fixtures coming up?

“Things change very, very quickly and you've seen that over the course of this year where teams can all of a sudden a get couple of wins.

“So that's exactly how we go about it now, we know the challenge is there. We'll keep producing and trying to produce the performances we have over the last three or four weeks to try and get some positive wins.”

Although James Ward-Prowse is the Clarets’ only January signing to date, the team still looks different than the one which started the campaign after Marcus Edwards and Armando Broja have come into the reckoning.

When asked if his squad are better prepared to pick up points in the second half of the season, Parker replied: “I think we're stronger not just because of the players that are fit.

“I think we're stronger because we're halfway through a season now where the players have experienced being in and around it, learnt from their mistakes, learnt and have an understanding of what the Premier League requires.

“And that's what happens when you're in a young squad. So I think we're in a better position because we're going to be better versions of ourselves.

“We have an understanding of what we're up against, what we need to do, how we need to compete in this division.

“Of course, added to that is players who have come in, in form, added to the squad, players who are coming back from injury. Obviously, that brings competition and healthy competition, so I'm looking forward to this next part.”

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